Metaverser: Origins of a Warrior
by AlphaPheonix
Summary: A mortal is chosen by the Deific Council, a group of manifestations of mortal concepts such as Life, Death, Time, Space, etc., to hunt down an escaped Multi-dimensional criminal in the world of Death Note. Can their chosen hero work with Light Yagami before the world is undone by the criminal? Rated M for violence, language, and sexual situations. (In need of a beta)
1. Rebirth into a Warrior

You know the story. Of a mortal, chosen by the gods, given powers unimaginable, expected to follow their orders and restore their precious balance, no matter the cost. My story is very similar to those old legends. I was just a simple, mortal man, just trying to survive an everyday life without too much difference other than a different set of songs to listen to on my way to work. In other words, my life was average and, in some instances, boring. But I never complained, never wished for anything more. Because I knew there was nothing more in my world. No powers other than minor cases no one ever believes are real. No alien or extra dimensional races interested in our world because there is nothing here. Nothing but human cruelty.

I never expected anything to come from my world other than greed, betrayal, debauchery, and death. Then, I died. Now I hear you asking; if I died, how am I speaking to you? First, the mortal body can be legally dead for a few minutes before needing resuscitation. Second, I'm getting to the real reason I'm talking to you. Just let me start from the end.

You know the drill, a day like any other. Sunny, lively, full of singing birds and angry drivers. I was on the bus on my way to work. I remember sitting next to a mother and her 5-year-old daughter. They were on their way to meet their family and were taking the bus because their car was getting a tune-up. We weren't expecting what came next. No one ever does. I don't know exactly what happened, only that one moment I was sitting in my seat, listening to some random song, the next moment I'm on the wall of the bus, blood on my head and the bus flipped onto its side. I was confused and most likely had a concussion.

I looked around to get my bearings and saw a few people had died from the crash. The smashed glass, caved in heads, and spatters of blood were a clear indication. I heard shouting from outside the bus. I managed to maneuver myself to see out the open backdoor. The mother was struggling with a few people reaching for the bus, crying and screaming. I looked to where she was sitting and saw her daughter was stuck in a seat belt, dangling in her seat. I made my way to her and tried getting her out. The seat belt was stuck and wouldn't move. I looked around and tried to think of some way of getting her out. I found a shard of glass and picked it up. I cut the seat belt and carefully caught her body.

I made my way out of the bus, girl on my shoulders and was making my way to the crowd. I couldn't hear exactly what was being shouted from the crowd, but I remember them gesturing me over, looking like they wanted me to hurry up. I don't know what compelled me to turn around, but when I did, my heart stopped. Straight out of a movie, the bus wasn't the only vehicle in the accident. We'd apparently hit an oil tanker and gasoline was soaking the ground near the vehicles. To make matters worse and even more like a movie, a power line had been severed and had ignited the gasoline. The fire was rushing towards the truck fast. Unnaturally fast. I didn't have time to react, or even to move another step. I took the girl off my shoulder and held her close, trying desperately to save her from the shock wave and any shrapnel that may come our way. I closed my eyes and braced myself. I felt the blow to my body and found myself on the ground.

* * *

The first thing I noticed was the girl was gone, then I noticed the flames were gone as well. Same with the bus and truck, the mother, and the crowd of people. All I saw was that I was at the end of a long hallway, in front of a large black door, kneeling on a grey tiled floor. Behind me the hall was dark, impossibly dark. I couldn't see passed 3 feet in that direction. I turned back towards the door and saw it had very intricate designs all over it. They almost seemed to be shifting, almost like flames were flickering nearby and causing shadows to make it seem alive. Before I could even contemplate that there was no source of light anywhere, the door opened.

"I swear they never show me any respect. I'm the oldest of all of them! The least they could do is say please and thank you! Just once! That's all I ask!" I watched as a beautiful woman with long midnight black hair reaching the small of her back, an hourglass figure, glowing golden eyes and a thigh length black and silver dress with matching gloves and ankle high boots with 1-inch heels step into the hall. I found myself frozen in place as I watched her rant, basking in the black-haired beauty that was right in front of me. "They better treat me with the respect I deserve or I'm going to…"

She cut herself off when she noticed me in front of her, especially how close we were. She'd been so busy ranting and I'd been admiring her so intently neither of us noticed how close she was getting until she was an inch from my face. We stood there frozen for a few seconds before her entire face turned red and she stumbled away from me. "Eep!" She tripped as she tried backing away from me and on instinct, I wrapped my arm around her waist to prevent her from falling. Her face went even redder and I thought I saw steam coming from her ears. She started stammering, trying to form a coherent thought when a voice shouted from beyond the door.

"Denise! Stop fooling around and bring him in here!" a masculine voice shouted out. The now named Denise jumped, scrambled from my arms and busied herself by straightening her dress and trying to get her blush under control. "And hurry up! We're on a schedule!"

"C-coming!" Denise turned to me and avoided eye contact, her blush threatening to come back. "If you'll please follow me. We'll tell you why you're here and what happened to you." I could only nod at her words trying my damnedest not to blush myself as I followed her through the doors. I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering over to her as I followed her into a large chamber filled with giant statues of men and women. I finally managed to pull my gaze from Denise as I noticed she was leading me to a group of people seated in elaborate thrones. "Here he is Gareth. Not like you'll thank me for bringing him." I held back a chuckle as I heard that last part. She'd said it under her breath, so I was the only one to fully hear it.

"What was that Denise?" said the blonde man sitting in the center throne. He was tall with short cropped hair, wearing golden robes and a silver wreathe on his head. I noticed a look or arrogance in his eyes and felt an air of annoyance about him.

"N-nothing!" said Denise. I glanced at her and saw a startled look upon her face. A Second later she looked crestfallen and sad. I felt a pain in my chest and decided to try and cheer her up. After a second of thinking I smirked and leaned closer to her.

"Gold throne, gold robes, silver wreathe. Wow he's really full of himself huh?" Denise held back a snigger at my comment and tried hiding her mouth from the other people. "I get it, you're important, doesn't mean you got to rub it in our noses." At this she laughed, unable to hold it in anymore. I also saw a few of the others holding back laughs and Gareth glaring at both of us.

"Why you insolent…" Gareth was cut off by a little girl who was seated in a throne next to an empty throne. The girl looked to be about 8 or 9. She had short blue hair, a white dress and had a cerulean throne. She also appeared to have red eyes.

"That's enough Gareth. You know we can't do anything to him. Also, he does raise a good point. It is rather arrogant to boast your position with gold. It seems you want to be treated like a mortal. I thought you were above such things."

"I am!"

"Well you certainly don't act like it," said a woman on Gareth's left. She had long red hair, a slender figure, a long glittery dress and green eyes. She had a seductive look to her and a devious smile on her lips. She looked like she belonged on the stage of a Vegas casino. "You constantly act more like an angry mortal king rather a deific entity. You really need to act appropriately."

"I do! You're the ones who choose to act like mortals! Especially you Lucy! Wearing that ridiculous outfit! It's unfitting of you!" Gareth shouted, pointing at the woman in red. Lucy, as she was then named, simply smirked and crossed one leg over the other.

"I happen to think it's rather appropriate, given my realm of influence."

"We think she has a point Gareth," said a pair of twins on Gareth's right between him and the little girl. They appeared to be both girls. The one on the right wore a purple dress decorated black designs all throughout and had short black hair with purple tips, her bangs covering her left eye. The one on the left appeared to be a direct inverse to her sister. A black dress with purple designs and purple hair with black tips and bangs covering her right eye. "We believe we should represent our respective realms of influence."

I looked at each of the people in front of me and cleared my throat. "I'd just like to point out that we've gotten a bit off track. The lovely miss Denise told me I'd learn why I'm here and what's going on." I could see Denise blush brightly at my words. I smirked inwardly as I noticed this and turned to the other people in the room. "I'd rather not waste anyone's precious time. We might as well get this over with." As I mentioned the words 'precious time' I noticed the twin on the right blush and the twin on the left glare. _'Hmm. Interesting. And Lucy did mention the words deific entity. I wonder…'_

Before I could get lost in thought a man sitting on Lucy's left side cleared his throat, he wore a platinum looking suit and had a throne that appeared to be made of machinery. "He is right. We most get back on track. Denise would you please retake your seat?"

"Oh! Right!" At this Denise made her way to the vacant throne. I found my eyes drawn to her as she sat down, looking like an elegant queen.

"Now then," said the man in platinum. "Young man, which would you like to hear first. Why you have been brought here, what it is we want, or who we are?" I tore my gaze from Denise, who had finally noticed my attention and blushed, and turned to him. I gave the group one more look and gave it a moment of thought.

"I don't think I'd need to know that last one, I think I figured it out."

"Oh? Then who do you think we are?"

"Your gods, aren't you?" This made them jump, startled. I looked each of them in the eyes. "I mean it's kind of obvious if you pay attention. Lucy did mention the words 'deific entity' and 'realms of influence'. Also, there's the fact I should be dead. I mean I was concussed and in front of an explosion, protecting a little girl from the blast no less. Then I'm in the hall beyond this room. Oh! That's what I'd like to know! The girl, and the people on the road. What happened to them?!"

Denise smiled sweetly at my words causing me to blush. "Oh, aren't you sweet! Thinking of others before yourself!" She waved her hand and a mirror rose from the ground in front of me. I looked at it and an image appeared in the glass. I saw the mother holding her child close as she slowly opened her eyes. The paramedics were bandaging her wounds along with anyone else who survived the crash and explosion. Next to them I saw my body being covered with a white sheet. "You did manage to save her. Your body protected her from the blast. But unfortunately for you a piece of shrapnel pierced your heart. We brought your soul here, well I did!" She said something under her breath, so I didn't catch much but I did hear the words soul and warm towards the end.

The girl next to her smirked before saying "Sounds like someone wants to use the mortal to stay warm at night." Denise turned as red as a tomato and turned to the girl.

"W-w-w-why would you say something like that?! I-I would never abuse my power like that!"

"Who said you'd be abusing your power? I just meant you'd like to…" Denise immediately covered her mouth before she could say anything, her face equal amounts of angry and embarrassed.

"Say another thing and I'll make sure you never touch another sweet Sarah!"

"Enough!" shouted Gareth. He glared at the two of them before turning his attention to me. "There! You know what happened to the child! Let's move on before they do something foolish again!"

I ignored him and turned to the man in platinum. I had another question. Why am I acting so calm? Normally I'd be freaking out about being dead." He smiled and raised a device beside his chair.

"That would be because of this device. It generates a field of calming energy to put mortal souls at ease. Makes it easier to speak with them if they don't have a bad temper or any other bad emotion affecting their thought process."

"So, a pacification field?"

"Exactly!"

"You stole that from the Old-World Blues DLC from Fallout New Vegas, didn't you?" He flinched and hid the device behind his back.

"Not exactly." By this point Gareth had had enough of being ignored.

"Can we please stop getting off track?! Listen mortal! We brought you here because we have a task for you! Succeed and we'll give you anything you wish! We'll even restore you to your worthless life! But first you need to do as we say! Understand?"

"And if I refuse?" This seemed to make them stop. Apparently, they hadn't considered me asking this. "What happens if I refuse?" I looked each of them in the eyes as they considered their response and tried not to get lost in Denise' eyes. It was Sarah who spoke up before anyone else could.

"Frankly, neither you, nor we, have a choice in the matter. As much as the others do not want to admit it, we must face this fact now. We are pressed for time as it is." She brought out a wand from nowhere and waved it at the mirror. The image shifted from my corpse to a structure that appeared to be floating in an endless void. "This is the Shadow Vault. An extra-dimensional prison housing the greatest threats to reality. Normally it's nothing to worry about but," an explosion blew apart a portion of one of the walls. Seconds later a single figure flew out and disappeared. "Someone managed to escape. We don't know how, and we don't know who they are, what we do know is that they'll start destroying other universes.

"We need you to find and put a stop to them before they gain enough power to disrupt all of the Metaverse. We need to act fast."

"Ok, before I do anything, I've got a few questions."

"By all means," said the man in platinum. "Ask away."

"Ok, first; what is a Metaverse?"

"I'll answer that," said the man in platinum. "My name is Gallio, by the way. I am the manifestation of Progress. My apologies for not introducing ourselves before. But it seems Gareth is too impatient for civility." Gareth grumbled something before standing.

"I am Gareth, Manifestation of Life and Creation."

"It's just Life Gareth," said Lucy. "I've told you before, those with life have a tendency to destroy rather than create." From where I was standing, I could see a vein pop out of Gareth's forehead. Lucy didn't stand but rather uncrossed and re-crossed her legs much like the infamous scene from the movie Basic Instincts. "I am Lucy, Lucy Fortuna. I am Lady Luck herself."

"I see," I said, smiling. I cleared my throat and began to sing. "They call you Lady Luck. But there is room for doubt. At times you have a very unladylike way of running out." I glanced at both her and Denise and saw them both blushing, with Denise pouting just a little. "That has to be one of my favorite songs performed by Frank Sinatra."

"Oh, Sinatra," Lucy swooned. Figures that Lady Luck would be a Sinatra fan. The King of Vegas always could melt my heart. As she drifted off to her daydream, the twins stood, hand in hand, and stared at me for a few seconds before the twin on the left stood between myself and her sister.

"Stay away from her." Was all she said, her single exposed eye threatening all kinds of pain if I didn't heed her warning. I looked between the two of them. And sighed.

"Let me guess, you're the Manifestation of Time and your sister behind you is Space?" both sisters jumped as I mentioned their realms of influence. "I'm right aren't I?"

"H-how did you…" said the other sister.

"Two things. First when I said I didn't want to waste anyone's 'precious time', you blushed, and she glared. Then when you stood to introduce yourselves you stood hand in hand, inseparable. Then there's your personalities. I've always heard that Time is considered fragile since all it takes is killing a butterfly in the past to affect any timeline in most theories. Space is more solid and sturdy and isn't easily broken unless Time is." I noticed most of them had surprised looks on their faces. The only exceptions being Lucy, who looked amused, and Denise, who seemed to be smiling brightly. Holding back a blush I looked at each of them. "What's wrong?"

"You're quite perceptive, aren't you?" asked Gallio. He quirked an eyebrow and leaned forward in his throne.

"Not usually, maybe it's a side effect of your stolen Pacification Field."

"Oh, here we go," said Sarah.

"I didn't steal anything! It was those damn brains at the Think Tank who stole MY idea. Oh, it's just like them to take credit for someone else's work. It's not even a Pacification Field! It's more of a Non-aggression Field, and it doesn't even work on biological lifeforms! Thankless, thieving hacks…" he then walked away and went on a very long and unintelligible tangent and Sarah sighed.

"He'll be like that for a while. Just let him cool down and he'll be fine."

"Touchy subject?" I asked.

"Very. Anyways, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sarah. I'm the Manifestation of Magic and Miracles. And since they didn't get to mention their names, the Twins are Tyra, the Manifestation of Space, and Kira, the Manifestation of Time. And you are correct in your assumptions. Well done kid."

"And last, but definitely not least," I said turning to Denise. "Leaves you miss." Blushing lightly, Denise stood and smiled at me. Once more I was captivated by her and given the smirks on the faces of Lucy and Sarah, they noticed. Before they could comment, Denise spoke.

"Of course. You know my name is Denise by now. I am the Manifestation of Death. Pleased to meet you." With this she curtsied, and I found myself blushing once more.

"If we're done with introductions," said Gareth. "We can begin once more. Gallio! Stop ranting and get over here! We're wasting time!" Gallio suddenly appeared in his throne in flash of light. "Now then. Why you're here is simple. We want you to reacquire our escaped criminal, and once you succeed, you'll be granted anything!"

"You already mentioned this. Well, Sarah did. I didn't need to hear it again." Another vein popped in his forehead and he was about to say something more, but I ignored him and turned to Gallio. "You were about to explain the Metaverse?"

"Right," he said. "First; I want to know how much you know about Multiverse Theory."

"Probably as much as anyone else. That for every choice we make regarding major decisions in our lives there's a timeline where we made the opposite choice. How's that?"

"That's just the basics. It's much more extensive and elaborate, but I'll try and simplify it to the best of my abilities. There are two types of Multiverses. Lesser and Greater. Lesser Multiverses are regarding the choices made by an individual at crossroads in their lives that only affect their life or the lives of people they know. Greater Multiverses regard choices made by an individual or a group of people that affect the entire world. For example; a Lesser change would be if you chose to go to a college like Princeton rather than Yale. A Greater change would be if the United States didn't drop the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"Both have different consequences that lead to multiple different outcomes, hence the term Multiverse. Beyond a Multiverse, is an Omniverse. An Omniverse has only one type. Basically, an Omniverse is a collection of Multiverses that are related in some way or another. The interesting thing about Omniverses is they can overlap with each other, this causes for World Collision Events to occur. Nexus Worlds, much like your own, can receive glimpses of these events in the forms of ideas for stories for books shows and games. I believe the term 'fan fiction' is how normal Events are categorized, and 'crossover' is how a World Collision Event is categorized."

"Ok, that sounds like bullshit."

"It would to someone who hasn't experienced it. World Collision Events, when they happen naturally, can result in many different and interesting scenarios. But when a World Collision Event is forced, the results are cataclysmic. Some of these events have been catalogued into stories in Nexus Worlds like yours. An example of a Forced W.C.E. that was catalogued to your world would be when a Variation of the worlds you know as Mortal Kombat and DC Universes were brought together. This was a result of one of the prisoners inside the Shadow Vault. This Event happened centuries ago but Echoes, memories of the event throughout the Metaverse can still be picked up by Nexus Worlds."

"The Metaverse," said Sarah. "Is a collection of Omniverses. The Metaverse can be categorized into a Micro version and a Macro version. The Micro version occurs in a single Universe and is the connection of sources of information. Technology and Magic being the two primary examples. The Macro version follows the explanation I started with."

"We are the Deific Council," said Denise. "We are the ones who govern the balance of this version of Reality. And before you ask, yes there are multiple versions of Reality. Something beyond the Metaverse exits but we do not know of it. We are not supposed to. We're only allowed knowledge of nearby Realities. This is so we can tell how we differ and how things should progress."

"Is this explanation sufficient?" asked Gallio.

"Yeah," I replied. "That should cover it, even though I have a headache. Oh yeah, that reminds me. How am I corporeal? I can feel pains like headaches and early I stopped Denise from falling over." We both blushed as we remembered our first meeting.

"Ah," exclaimed Gallio. "That's my doing. I placed your soul into a vessel of my creation. I call it _Homo sapien Accommodare._ It's based on the basic physiology of humans in your universe with a few additions I added in. Enhanced physical and mental adaptation, which might also explain your enhanced perception, heightened natural senses, and increased physical condition."

"I take it this criminal is extremely dangerous? Otherwise these extra features wouldn't be necessary."

"If they were locked in Shadow Vault, then it's a very high chance they are. There is also a chance they could be below basic human levels of strength but not intelligence. We told Gallio to prepare for any scenario," said the Twins.

"Ok those questions are out of the way. Next, I want to know. Why me and only me?" You could feel the atmosphere grow cold as the expressions of the Council turned grim. "It wasn't supposed to be just me I take it?"

"No," replied Gareth. "Our plan was to take 5 mortals from different worlds at the time of their deaths and groom them to combat whoever escaped the Shadow Vault. But something went wrong. The other 4 worlds we chose to take mortals from… were undone."

"Undone as in destroyed or…"

"Undone as in they never existed," replied Kira, tears forming in her eyes. "The escapee toyed with the timelines of their worlds and ensured they would never exist. It was horrible!" She choked out the last part as she started crying, her sister trying to calm her down.

"Because of the escapee several souls are now lost. No longer in their Multiverses, nor are they in the Void, my Domain," said Denise. "We're afraid this escapee is drawing power from residual energies of the undone Universes."

"Were they specifically targeted or…"

"We don't know," said Lucy. "Because at the same time as they vanished, 8 other unrelated worlds were undone as well." The looks on their faces told me to stop asking about the other universes.

"Ok. Now why me?"

"For that you'll have to ask Denise," said Gareth. "It was her decision to bring you to us." Denise blushed heavily at being called out and avoided my gaze. I decided to ask her later.

"Alright. I think that's enough information for now. Do you guys know where the escapee is?"

"We have an idea," said Tyra. "Certain Universes require you to go into the Universe itself to get to it's Origin Point, the point in time when their reality is set in stone so to speak. As such, I can detect when there's been an intrusion in any of the universes in our domain. There has been one in a universe with relatively normal humans."

"'Relatively normal'? What exactly do you mean? Where am I going?"

"You'll figure out when you get there."

"Oh, that's very reassuring. I think I'm going to need more than just enhanced human traits. Can't I get a weapon or something?"

"No," said Gareth. "Just go."

"At least give me something to work with."

"I can give you my blessing," said Lucy. "It will make you lucky enough to survive any perils… mostly."

"Ok, and what do I have to do?" If her smirk was supposed to set me at ease, it had the opposite effect.

"All you have to do is kiss me." And with that both me and Denise were left blushing. Denise even exclaimed in defiance and moved between me and Lucy faster than I thought possible.

"Stay away from him! If you think I'm going to just sit back and let you get your hands on him, you've got another thing c…" Lucy started laughing, confusing both of us.

"I was only kidding Denise. You know it doesn't work like that. My, haven't known him for more than an hour and already possessive of our mortal." She laughed once more, and I could see actual steam coming from her ears this time.

"Enough of this," said Gareth. "Tyra send him away immediately!" There was a flash of purple light and suddenly I was on a busy city street. I looked around trying to see any clues as to where I was. With no clear indications I started walking around hoping to find some clue.

I soon found myself at an area with many cars and electronic billboards and looked around. I recognized it as the Shibuya district in Tokyo, Japan. Then I suddenly bent over and started breathing heavily. I leaned against the wall and tried getting my breathing under controlled. A few concerned people checked on me, asking if I was alright. I replied, to my surprise in Japanese, that I was fine. Someone was kind of to leave a bottle of water for me before hurrying on their way. "What the hell was that just now? I was perfectly calm and then I just… panicked. Wait, calm. The Pacification Field. It must have a short lingering effect.

That's when the jumbo-trons turned on and a man was on the screen. He was pale with black hair reaching passed his jawline. "I am the only person who can control the entire world's police forces," he said. "Lind L. Tailor. I go by the code name … 'L'. This successive murdering of criminals…" I stared at the man in shock. I knew this man, and I knew where I was.

"Lind L. Tailor… So, it's a universe involving the Death Note. Well that can't be good. The convict might be trying to get to the Shinigami King. He created the Death Notes, and he has his own. I need a way to find out what the hell is going on." I looked up as Lind L. Tailor started having a heart attack. That's when it hit me. "Ryuk. He can get me to the King. If I find Light Yagami, I find Ryuk. Just need to make sure that I don't change anything that's supposed to happen." I stuck my hands into my pockets to try and think of a way to try and find Light Yagami when I feel something. I pull out a credit card and a note. I slip the card into my pocket and read the note.

* * *

 _Realized you might need some money if you want to move around or need a place to stay. So, I had Gallio send you a credit card. No limits. Just remember that it can only be used in worlds that have electronic currency. Any world with physical currency you'll have to collect yourself. We can't just create it out of thin air. Good luck! Oh, and say hello to the King for me!_

 _Xoxoxo Denise._

* * *

I smiled and placed the note back in my pocket. 'Ok, hadn't thought of that until now. I was almost screwed there for a minute. Damn Gareth. Sending me here with no plan! No resources! And almost assuredly letting the prisoner escape! Damn him! Enough ranting. Need a plan.' I look around and see a fruit stand. 'Didn't Ryuk like apples?' I smile and buy a bunch of them. 'Ok, what's a sure-fire way of getting Light's attention?' I looked at the date on a nearby newspaper. 'December 5th. If I remember correctly, in nine days agents from the FBI will arrive in Japan to investigate suspects of being Kira. Light Yagami will be one of those suspects based on his father being a member of the police. That was a major slip up on his part. Hmm, maybe I should give Light something so that he'd be more willing to help me.'

I purchased a hotel room and decided to wait a until the 14th for the FBI agents. During that time, I watched as Kira killed more and more criminals, giving away more of his abilities to L. Before the 9th day, as I was walking around trying to find any clue as to who this escaped prisoner was and what their plans were, I felt and saw time stop around me. Then I received the mother of all migraines as Gareth started shouting in my head. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU'RE WASTING TIME!"

"OW! Hey! You're the one who sent me here with nothing! You knew you were already pressed for time and sent me here with no resources or information, no assistance, no weapons, and, most importantly, no plan! So, excuse me for wasting time when it's your fault in the first place! JACKASS!"

"I expected you to do your job as quickly as possible!"

"How am I supposed to do that when I have as much information as you do?! Which is, NOT FUCKING MANY! Put Gallio on! I want to talk to somebody with an ounce of intelligence!"

"Insolent cur! I will make your life hell you miserable little…"

"And that's enough of that," said Gallio in my head, "Now then, how can I help you?"

"Has there been any unusual activity in this world? Any indication as to what this person is able to do?"

"None whatsoever. Either their laying low trying not to draw too much attention…"

"Or they don't have any special powers at all. Either situation is troubling. It means I'll have to make sure I don't draw any attention to myself. Which reminds me. Would they be aware of incidents like this?"

"Yes, they would actually. The prisoners in Shadow Vault all have 2 things in common. One, they all have tried to disrupt the balance within the Metaverse at one point or another. 2, They seem heavily aware and resistant to our powers. Which reminds me, we'll need to cut this conversation off soon. Is there anything you need before we cut the connection?"

"Actually yeah, I need a weapon. I don't know how to fight, a weapon I can use would be useful. And a device that allows me to stay in contact with you guys without the migraine inducing mental talks."

"I think I have just the thing. Tomorrow, when you go to the airport to try and tail Raye Penber, go to locker 21. I'll have something stashed there that'll help. Combination is 13-10-21. I'm cutting the connection now."

"Oh, before I forget I need an ali…" The connection was cut, and time resumed before I could finish my sentence. "…as. Guess I'm on my own on that front."


	2. First Confrontation

On the morning of December 14th, I made my way to Narita International Airport. After politely asking where the lockers were, making my way through the crowd of people trying to make their ways to and from their terminals, and keeping an eye out for Ray Penber, and the other undercover FBI agents, I made my way to locker 21 and opened it. Inside was something I wasn't expecting.

When I opened the locker, I saw a slim wristwatch with a black leather strap and a dark blue and gold face. On the watch was a note with a simple message. _'Put me on and press the top button when your alone.'_ Following the instructions, I found a place to seclude myself and put the watch on my left wrist. Immediately I felt a prick from the metal back of the watch and heard a small _blip_ from the watch. "Ow! Dammit, warn me next time Gallio." I pressed the button at the top of the face and saw it flip itself around. The face was now more futuristic looking, more like a smart watch from 2018 in my world rather than the digital face that's common for most people in 2003.

What happened next had me giggling. A holographic screen was projected just above the screen. On the screen were the words **_'Gallio Edition PIP boy online. Running diagnostics and analysis. Integrating with user's biology. Gallio Genetics bio-frame Accommodare detected, adapting to genetic improvements. Process complete. Please input user name.'_** As I started to use the holographic keyboard that replaced the previous text, I hesitated. My life as a normal human was over. I didn't have to use my old name. I could come up with an entirely new persona. _'Ok. The old me is dead. Denise pretty much showed what happened to my body. New life, new name. Now, what should I call myself?'_

After a few moments of thinking, I finally input my new name. **_'Welcome, Mason, Phoenix, to the Gallio Edition PIP boy.'_** With that a new display appeared. It showed a humanoid body outline turning slowly, almost like it's on a turntable. In the outline were three markers. One on the head, one on the spine, and the last one being on the right leg. They were labeled as 'Increased cognitive ability', increased durability', and 'increased mobility' respectively. I started fiddling with it to see what else I could find when the indicator blinked. ' ** _Incoming call from, Gallio Morrison. Accept call? Yes/No.'_**

'Perfect timing. What am I thinking? They're probably watching me.' I found a pair of wireless, concealable earbuds, put them in and accepted the call… and immediately regretted it. "IT'S HIM! GALLIO! IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM! HURRY UP!" came the immediate shouting from the other end. Even though I'd only met them once, there was no mistaking that high pitched, cute sounding, voice.

"Hi Denise. Thank you for the tinnitus. Because that's what I needed for this mission, a constant ringing in my ears," I joked. Even though I couldn't see her, I felt her cringe and look ashamed, especially after hearing her voice become downtrodden.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to say hi." I inwardly groaned as I heard that. _'Way to go genius. You made her feel like crap! Gotta fix this.'_ I mentally kicked myself and sighed.

"Sorry Denise, I was only joking around. nice hearing from you. It's made the first week of my new life a lot less boring. Thank you." I could almost feel her blush with a giant smile on her face. I instantly felt my pride swell as she stammered out a reply.

"W-w-well! You're welcome!" As soon as her reply came the screen on the PIP boy changed again, this time it was showing a small heart with a plus 5 next to it. I quirked an eyebrow at that for a second before the screen then showed a real time display of her end. I saw her standing in front of a console, eyes closed and hands on her impossibly red cheeks, obviously in a daydream. Next to her I saw Gallio in a chair, retracting his hand before messing with the piece of tech in front of him. Behind them, I could see Lucy, Sarah and the twins behind them, along with a trio of women I hadn't seen before. Bandages were covering their eyes and they seemed to be bickering amongst themselves over something. By the Council's ignoring them, I could tell this was a common occurrence.

"We have visual connection Denise," said Gallio, his attention mostly on his device. "He can see you." Denise's eyes shot open and her gaze met my own. It took a few seconds before her blush crept up her face and she began to stammer. She tried hiding herself behind Gallio as she muttered something under her breath that I couldn't here. "No, I'm pretty sure that was all in your head. No way he heard what you were saying unless his hearing is better than I thought, and he heard your muttering just now."

"AAAHHH," shouted Denise.

"Hey," I interrupted. "Not that it's not cute seeing Denise get flustered. But Right now, we need to focus on my job."

"You're right. Now let's get started. Denise. Stand back there with the others… Now." Denise jump at Gallio's demanding voice and ran to stand next to Sarah and the three women. "Oh, yes. Astor, these three women are the Ladies Fate. I assume you know the old Greek legend?"

"Three women who control the threads of Fate. One who spins the threads of Fate, one who measures it, one who cuts it when the time comes. Does that sound about right?"

"Close," spoke the women on the right of the trio. "While, yes, our original jobs pertained to just that…"

"Our new jobs," spoke the women on the left. "Allow us more wiggle room so to speak."

"Each of us," spoke the center. "Were given more sight to deal with multiple timelines and worlds. Because we were appointed to this Council…"

"And because of the larger scale of this job," continued the women on the right.

"We could gain the physical sight of mortals and not just the sight of Delphi. We wear these bandages when we are trying to determine the whereabouts of our criminal by trying to see if one of the threads was growing exponentially."

"I take it you haven't had much progress?" I asked. All three Fates shook their heads. I sighed and looked at the other members of the Council. "Is there a manifest of the prisoners in Shadow Vault so we can go through and see who's missing?"

"I had the same thought and looked into my predecessor's data files."

"Predecessor?"

"Unlike the other Deities in this Council, my position requires a constant replacement as science progresses. I'm currently the Fifteenth Manifestation of Progress. Anyways, I found his notes and… you're not going to like what I found."

"Just lay it out for me. How many people are locked in the Shadow Vault?"

"Somewhere between 8… and 20 billion."

"…You're shitting me."

"I wish I were. Though, it might not be entirely accurate. My predecessor was a meticulous note taker. And, as I've found from other notes of his I've found in the last millennia, a lot of the times, he never erased or altered his notes from before. Both written and digital. His notes on the Shadow Vault list the lowest number of inmates as 8 individuals and the highest as 20 billion. Also, they're out of order, jumbled, and not dated. How he kept track of them, I'll never know. So, I don't know how many prisoners are currently in the Shadow Vault, nor do I know who they are."

"Can't you go in there to find out?"

"We can't enter. Trust me I've tried. Each of us aren't the original manifestations. Nor do we know of the Vaults original creators or what they did to it. We can't get in, and we can't send you in because of the risk that you may never get out again."

"This is getting more and more complicated. Okay, easy path locked out. Focus on the harder path. Denise. Is it possible for a mortal to enter the Shinigami Realm in this world?"

"No," she said. "At least, not without help. You'd need a Shinigami to either carry you to the realm or kill you with a very specific wording in the Death Note. But all Shinigami are under orders to never do that."

"What are the chances of a Shinigami being tricked or coerced into disobeying?"

"None."

"Are you sure? What if they get bored like Ryuk? Or are as gullible as Sidoh?"

"Still not possible. There are… severe consequences if this Law is violated. Don't ask how severe." Her face was masked in darkness, and her voice turned more serious than anything. Her eyes glowed red and a malicious smile spread on her lips. "Let's just say, if they weren't already gods of death, they'd be praying that Death would claim their souls." She giggled darkly, causing the other Deities to back away from her. I just watched her in fascination at this sudden change. It seemed like she truly embodied Death as she claimed. In all it's forms. I blushed, realizing I'd been staring for too long, and cleared my throat.

"I'll take your word for it. Now then, back to business. Ladies Fate, is this world exactly like the version I'm familiar with in the form of an anime back in my world? Or are there variations to it? I haven't encountered anyone who plays a major part in events of this multiverse and don't know if there are any changes."

"Other than one change, there are not really that many significant changes," said the Fate in the middle.

"What change is that?"

"The person you're looking for is not named 'Light' Yagami. It's 'Tsukiko' Yagami. It's a female version of Light, with the same psychology and desire to be god."

"So, other than that, no other significant changes?"

"None from the world originally. Any changes would be made from interactions from you and our escapee."

"Can I do in this world as I see fit? Like, for example, could I help Light… Tsukiko, win against L and Near? If I do, will there be any significant consequences?"

"No," said Lucy. "This isn't a Prime World, a world where events play out in the same way no matter what. It's a Variant World. Any changes made here only effect worlds that may spawn from its inception, and the choices made within. It won't affect any other timeline or Multiverse."

"But be careful," Said Denise. "It's close enough to the Prime that if this world is undone, it could cause some major devastation to any other timelines. Think of it like an Alpha Variation. Significant enough to affect multiple nearby worlds, but not enough to affect everything else."

"That being said," said Gallio. "Do try not to lose. The loss of this world won't just affect it's Multi or Omniverse, because 11 other worlds were already undone, each with a varying degree of importance, from several unrelated worlds, this will weaken each of us considerably. Balance takes time to readjust after such a cataclysm. Already each of us are already feeling the effects. None more so than Denise, and especially Gareth. The only reason Denise is here, and Gareth is not is because she's better at hiding it. Now then, I assume you have a plan?"

"Find Li... Tsukiko, ask for help in tracking down the escapee, try not to die and fail." I could see sweat drops form on all of them.

"Not much of a plan is it," said Sarah.

"Hey, I'm winging it. None of us know who is not supposed to be here, nor do we have any clue as to what they're planning. I'll adjust when needed in light of new information. If any of y'all have a better suggestion, speak up now." When none of them said anything, I looked at Sarah, an idea coming to mind. "Hey Sarah, are you able to sense anyone who's able to use magic? Any type of magic?"

"Yes," she replied. "But it's limited. In a world full of magic, it's more difficult to identify people based on magic signature, mainly because most worlds draw magic from the environment."

"What about in a world where magic is a rarity, like this one?"

"I can do it. Why do you ask? And what makes you think they're using magic?"

"The Fates. They can't see the escapee. Only one way I can think of that can do that. If they were a scientist there would be an energy signal that we could track and a massive ego that wouldn't let them stay hidden for long. No offense Gallio. He merely grunted and shrugged, seeming to agree with me. "Plus, there's the fact that they still would be seen by you because they've only prolonged the inevitable. Luck merely affects your chances at living. There's been no changes in time or distortions in space so nothing abnormal there.

"If they were undead, I'm assuming Denise would be able to still detect them, as the soul would still be somewhat connected to the body. Since Denise hasn't sensed anything regarding that, that leaves one thing. Magic. I know of one type of magic that can hide you from Fate and Death."

"Necromancy. Son of a bitch! Why didn't I think of that?!" She screamed and started pulling her short hair. "It's my domain! I should know when someone can influence it! What is wrong with me?!"

"Stop berating yourself and focus. If you can feel them anywhere, please let me know." Sarah nodded and left the room they were in. I looked at Gallio. "For now, I'll keep trying to find them myself while Sarah sees if she can sense them. For now, what else can this watch do?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Now, I know you've accessed the bio readout, as that is the screen it's programmed to go to as you first activate it, much like the Rob-Co models. Its layout is basically the same as the PIP boy 3000, the only differences are it can transmit audio and video signals, it has a sleeker design to it, rather than the blocky design of the original. Damn nuclear-powered society. Also, it has a larger carrying capacity that doesn't impede your own physical weight and speed."

"No being over encumbered, that's always a plus. What else?"

"If you acquire weapons, they'll be instantly sorted into sub categories, making them easier to find for later use. It also has a few other modes to it that can aid later on, but I'll leave those secret for now. All you need to know now are it's downsides."

"Ok then, what are the downsides?"

"Well first, V.A.T.S. is gone. It's a feature I had to scrap to work with the increased carrying capacity. So, no auto aim or probability indicator for what limb your trying to hit. Another thing that couldn't be helped is the size of things that can be stored in the inventory. Basically, if it's bigger than you, you can't carry it."

"No auto aim. Great. So, if I have to shoot something, which might happen, I have to rely on my own skill, which is pretty much nonexistent because I've never fired a gun in real life. Well my luck just sucks."

"I can if you want," said Lucy. She was smirking behind Gallio and winked at me as she held Denise's mouth shut after her comment."

"Thank you for the offer Lucy, but I'll pass."

"Can't blame a girl for trying, now can we?" I shook my head and looked at Gallio, who was distractedly working on his device.

"Anything else?"

"Yes," he said, not even looking up. "In your inventory you'll find three devices already inside. The first is your weapon. It's a pair of electrically charged knuckle dusters. They come with three settings. 'S', 'G', and 'DD'."

"And those stand for…" I asked, confused.

"'S' is the lowest setting. A mildly annoying shock that is more for gaining someone's attention or, if you're immature, playing a prank. 'S' stands for 'Sarah'"

"You're an ass!" shouted Sarah from down the hall.

"'G' is the middle setting. This is your non-lethal combat shock it generates the same amount of electricity as a taser, locking the muscles of your opponent upon contact. It's painful to experience, but not deadly. The 'G' stands Gareth. And last but not least, the 'DD' setting. This is your lethal setting. The knuckle dusters generate enough electricity to stop the heart upon contact and are extremely painful. Any victim would spend their last moments in agony. The 'DD' stands for 'Deadly Denise'. Rather fitting, wouldn't you agree?" I could only nod as I took them out of the inventory and examined them. They had a smooth black and white design and didn't feel like they weighed more than a pound each.

"The next device is something you should already be familiar with. My Pacification Field. When you pull it out of you inventory, you'll find instructions on how to operate it. This device needs no further explanation other than a warning. Try not to use it too often. I'm afraid it may lead to an addiction, and your body becoming immune to its influence. Only use it in stressful situations. We don't need you becoming an incoherent mess. Not only would it take time out of my schedule to fix your problem, it's in bad taste.

"The third device is an experimental prototype armor. I say experimental, but I haven't been able to test it yet."

"Should I be worried?" I asked, Denise looking between both of us, a scared look on her face.

"Not really. It shouldn't blow up on you… just try not to activate too many of its functions at once, or you risk permanently damaging your new body. I think, I'm not 100% sure."

"Oh, that's very reassuring. Can I at least get a luck boost so I'm a little bit safe?"

"You'll have to pay the toll," said Lucy, a seductive look on her face. "One night with me ought to do it."

"On second thought, I'll handle the risks. No offense Lucy." Lucy's only response was crossing her arms under her breasts and pouting as Denise sighed in relief. "What functions does the armor have?"

"Hmm… I can't really remember. I made it so long ago, I lost track of what I put in there. I'm sure you'll figure out how to make it work, and what it can do."

"You know, I'm starting to think I'd trust an invention made by the Think Tank over one of yours." I seemed to have hit a sore spot because as soon as the words 'Think Tank' left my mouth his eyebrows started twitching, and when I finished speaking, he looked like he was about to start ranting again. Before he could utter a word, I saw him get flung into a wall, an irate Sarah behind him. "Bad news?"

"That," she said. "And some good news. Good news is, there definitely is magic being used in that world that shouldn't exist there. Bad news is, not only can I not track it, I can't pinpoint where exactly it's from to get a clear identification of who this might be."

"So, we're back to square one. Perfect, nothing I like more than having to repeat the same process over and over. Thanks for looking anyway Sarah, at least we're not completely in the dark now. We know we're dealing with a mage of questionable power and skill, and no clue what world they're originally from. It's not much, but it's something." I then heard the announcement that the plane from America was arriving and turned back to the holo-screen. "The agents are about to show up. I'll report in if I find anything."

"Be careful out there, Kid," said Lucy.

"Don't call me 'Kid'. It's 'Phoenix'," I replied with a smirk. Denise quirked an eyebrow and smirked back at me.

"'Phoenix', huh?"

"Cliché, I know. But I figured, I died and was reborn after an explosion. And my original body is most likely going to be cremated. 'Phoenix' kinda fits, you know? Besides, my old life is over. The old me is gone. New life, new me. Things were kinda getting unbearably boring there anyways. Denise bringing me to you guys is probably the best thing that could've happened to me." I smiled at Denise, making her blush and smile back.

"Just get going 'Phoenix'," said Sarah. "I'll keep trying to find them on our end. Hopefully one of us gets lucky. And none of your jokes, Lucy. I'm not in the mood." The two started arguing and Denise turned to me.

"Be safe Phoenix." She smiled at me sweetly and ended the call. I sighed softly and went back out to the airport terminal. A few minutes went by before I spotted a group of people making their way from the gate. I spotted a man with short black hair and light blue eyes in a brown trench coat.

"Raye Penber. He won't start following Tsukiko for a few days, but it's better to be close by just in case the mage decides Raye could be of some use. And I should probably start talking out loud. God, I hope this doesn't become a habit." I casually followed the agents out of the airport and spotted a security camera nearby 'Right. Public surveillance. Need to do something about that. I see them about to get into a few cabs and manage to flag down Penber. "Excuse me! Do you speak English?"

"Yes, I do. I'm from America. Raye Penber." He extended his hand to me and I shook it.

"Phoenix Mason. Are you on your way to a hotel? I need somewhere to stay while I look for a job here in Japan."

"I am actually."

"Mind if I take a cab with you?"

"I don't know, I'm kind of in a hurry Mr. Mason."

"Come on. It's not like it'll take that much more time. In fact, we're wasting time just standing here talking." Sighing Raye turned to me.

"Alright. Get in." I helped him get his luggage into the cab and got in with him. He told the driver where to go and we were on our way to the hotel. "So, why are you in Japan, Mr. Mason?"

"Call me Phoenix. Mr. Mason sounds like a teacher."

"Alright, then you can call me Raye."

"To answer your question, I'm starting a new life here. Things were getting kinda stale back home. Figured a change in scenery would be nice. Didn't think anywhere in the U.S. would be far enough away, so I came here with nothing but some money to exchange and the clothes on my back. What about you Raye? What brings you here?"

"I'm here on business. My company is attempting an important merger and I'm one of the people who were trusted with the meeting."

"Office job huh? Must be hell."

"Sometimes it can be. But it can be pretty rewarding other times."

"Like how?"

"Well I met my fiancé there. So, there's that." We spent the rest of the ride talking about the differences we could see between Japanese and American cultures. I chose to steer the conversation away from his job as soon as possible. I could tell his responses regarding his job, sans the information about his fiancé, were rehearsed. 'Must've been trying to memorize it for a while. Better make him more comfortable talking with me.'

Once we arrived, I helped Raye with his luggage as he payed the driver. We made our way to the lobby and he broke off to meet up with the other agents. I purchased a room that gave me a view of the street, so I could keep track of Raye and the other agents. 'I need a way to track him. I need to find Tsukiko as soon as possible. I started fiddling with the PIP boy and found a map of the city. I zoomed in on my location and found a second indicator. I clicked on it and the map changed into a 3D model of the hotel. The second indicator was a few floors above my own and was moving towards a room.

"How the hell… Gallio better explain this later. Right now, convenience outweighs logic." I made my way back to the lobby and went out to the street. I managed to find a clothing store and purchase a few sets of clothes so I'm not wearing the same thing every day. I bring my clothes back to my room and access my PIP boy again. I noticed that it had access to this world's internet. "Dammit Gallio. You're almost as bad as Gareth regarding information." With nothing better to do, I pulled out the armor to examine and mess around with it.

It molds itself around me perfectly and I look at myself in a mirror. It's a full body armor with no helmet, a metallic grey sheen to it reflecting the light from the lamp in the room. I notice it managed to form itself around the PIP boy and look at the watch, flipping to the physical analysis screen. I flip to the effects screen to see what the armor does innately without anything activated.

 ** _"Prototype Hunter Armor activated. Noise Dampeners online. Physical Enhancement online. Stealth Field offline. Directed Energy Shield offline and deactivated. Kinetic Dampeners online. Mobile Tracking Unit unavailable. No Personalized weaponry compatible with Prototype Hunter Armor systems available. Localized EMP at 20% charge. Estimated recharge time; approximately 32 hours without proper charging apparatus. WARNING. Critical systems missing from primary armor functions. Missing systems include; Emergency Medical Treatment Automatic Dispenser, Remote Tracking Aerial Drones, Remote Tracking Sensor Drones, Adamantine Shield for Projectile Combat, Power Regulator for intentional continuous use, Standardized Armor Adaptation Unit for environmental and situational exploration and combat, Standardized Artificial Intelligence for optimal power distribution."_**

"Stealth armor. Again, convenience outweighs logic. Now, how do I activate the stealth field and how long does it last?" I looked at the PIP boy and notice a wire that looks compatible to a port in the armor. "When in doubt…" I plugged the watch to the armor and watched a new display appear.

 ** _"Gallio Edition PIP boy syncing with Prototype Hunter Armor. 100% synchronization complete. Stealth Field can now be activated. Estimated time for active Stealth Field; 52 minutes before necessary 13-hour recharge. WARNING. Without Standardized Artificial Intelligence, Stealth Field at 53% effectiveness. Standardized Artificial Intelligence and Power Regulator required for optimal and efficient use."_**

"Well, that's that answered. Nothing to do then except wait for Raye to start shadowing Tsukiko. That'll only be another 4 days." I groaned and collapsed on my bed. "I thought I was done with boredom, but I guess that's gonna be a regular thing no matter what universe you're in. Now, how the hell can I pass the time for 4 days? Go sightseeing? Find a tour? Test out the armor?" I stayed that way for a few minutes before sitting up and putting the armor back in the PIP boy. "Maybe I should find a job, even though I'm not wanting for money. Might as well just go for a walk and find something to do."

I found myself at a park after about thirty minutes of walking and sat at a bench. I reached for my headphones out of habit only to remember they were on my original body. "Dammit. Of course, I don't have any music. And I can't mess with the PIP boy, this tech doesn't exist yet. There's gotta be something to do. I can't just sit around doing nothing." Suddenly, I heard a scream coming from a nearby alley and sat upright. "Was someone just screaming right now?" I looked around trying to see anything in the park. I heard another scream behind me, coming from an alley a block away. "What the… questions later, action now!" I ran for the alley as fast as I could. When I got there, I spotted a man gripping the elbow of a blonde girl in a hat and sunglasses.

"Give it to me now girl," said the man. His face was hidden in shadow, so I couldn't identify him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the girl. "Please! Somebody help me!"

"Hey asshole," I shouted. The man turned to face me as I tackled him away from the woman. "Run ma'am! Call the police! I'll keep him from you!" She nodded and ran out of the alley. "Okay asshole, time for you to go down!"

"You bastard," muttered the man. "She has something I need, and you let her get away. Now I have to track her down again."

"If you think I'm gonna let you get away before the police get here, you've got another thing coming."

"Hmph. You're in my way 'hero'. This will be you're last mistake, worm." He then made a staff with a deformed skull appear in his hand. "When I kill you, I'll use your corpse to lure her out again." I eyed the staff and then smirked before slowly activating the PIP boy.

"Wow, Lucy must've done something to me despite my turning her down," I said confidently as I equipped the armor and the knuckle dusters. "Because you're just who I've been looking for!" I yelled and charged at him. He grunted and sidestepped my initial attack with my left hand, only to be hit by my right. He screamed in agony as the knuckle duster's second setting shocked the living hell out of him. I was about to hit him again when he raised his hand. I was lifted off the ground and away from him by whatever spell he was using.

"So, the council has found themselves a dog. Not even a dog, a pup. How adorable. Listen here boy. I'm giving you this one courtesy. You get to live. You're not a threat to me. You're merely a gnat, annoying." He sent me into a wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. Then sent me into a bunch of trashcans behind him. "Do not get in my way again boy. I will not be as generous. You may have been deemed strong enough by the council to become their pet, but that just shows how incompetent they are.

"Rejoice boy. For you are in the presence of a king. And once I've obtained what I'm looking for, you will be basking in the glory of a god. Do not attempt to thwart my plans again. Or I will kill you." He cast a spell and turned invisible as I tried sitting up. I heard footsteps coming and put away the armor and knuckle dusters before collapsing and passing out.

I woke up a few minutes later, being tended to by EMTs a police officer near by talking with the woman from before. I sat up and groaned before looking at the EMTs. "I'm fine, thank you." Hearing me, the officer and the woman came over to me. The officer looked at me and smirked.

"That was a brave thing you did, kid. But ultimately stupid. You should've called us. We would've handled the situation." 'Yeah, until he sends you into a wall with magic and then reanimates your corpse.'

"Honestly sir, I don't have a phone. I heard the screams and just ran. Didn't even think of notifying the police until after I got thrown into those garbage cans. Though I think by the time we'd have arrived, she'd have been hurt or worse." I looked at her and smiled. "Glad I could help ma'am." She nodded and turned away from me.

"Your Japanese is pretty good. Don't even hear an accent. What did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I'm Phoenix Mason. I just moved here from America. And I had a pretty good language teacher."

"Well Mason-San, try not to be a hero too much. That's our job. Can't have you getting hurt because of it. Now she wasn't able to give me an accurate description of the man who attacked her. What about you?" I shook my head and sighed.

"It was too dark. Wasn't able to see his face. Is it alright for me to go after I give you my report?"

"Well it doesn't look like you were severely injured so sure. Just try not to get into any more trouble." I nodded and gave my report, leaving out Gallio's tech and anything that was said. I turned to where the girl was, only to find her gone. 'Strange. Can't be helped right now though. Need to call the Council.' I found my way back to the hotel and was making my way to my room when Raye found me.

"Hey Phoenix! Whoa, what happened?"

"Oh, just got into a fight after saving a girl from some creep who ambushed her in an alley."

"Why didn't you call the police?"

"Don't have a phone. Couldn't call them. Besides, she was gonna get hurt if someone didn't do something. I kinda acted on instinct."

"Well just be careful Phoenix. And next time let the police know what's going on. It's their job to save people, not yours."

"That's assuming there is a next time, Raye. And I highly doubt there will be. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to rest. As you can see, I got my ass handed to me. See you later Raye."

"Later Phoenix." With that, I made it back to my room and sighed. 'Ok, no more distractions. Time to make the call. I activated the holo-screen on the PIP boy and waited for a response. After about a minute, Gallio appeared on the screen, his head covered in bandages. "Uh… everything alright?"

"Yes," he replied. "Everything is fine. We can get hurt, you know. Especially when we're weakened. Now what's up. You can't have found anything yet. It's barely been 2 hours."

"That's where you'd be wrong. Get the others. We have a situation." I waited a few minutes as the rest of the Council, sans Sarah, came into the room. Seeing me got Denise worried and Gareth amused, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. "Well I found the bastard, but I couldn't catch him."

"You found him," asked Gareth, disbelief evident on his face. "That easily? Earlier you were complaining that you didn't have anything to go on, now all of a sudden you found the very man you're looking for? You expect us to believe that?!" Before replying, I pulled out the Pacification Field and activated it.

"First, Gallio, I might get addicted to this more often if I have to constantly be berated by him whenever I check in. Does he have a mute button?"

"Sadly, no," said Gallio with a sigh. "A biological mute button is hard enough to make. And until I make one, I can't even begin to think about how to make one for deific entities."

"Damn, oh well. Second, I did find him. I couldn't see his face though. Where's Sarah? She needs to hear this next part."

"I'll get her," said Lucy. She sauntered her way to the control panel in front of Gallio and flipped a switch. She grabbed a microphone and held it to a speaker causing a feedback. I covered my ears with my free hand and left shoulder as Sarah could be heard from the speaker.

"OOOOWWW! WHAT?!" shouted Sarah.

"Get over to Gallio's lab. Phoenix has a report."

"I'll be right there," she replied with a sigh, before shutting off the speaker on her end.

"PHOENIX?!" shouted Gareth. "YOU DARE CORRUPT THE NAME OF MY SACRED BIRD BY NAMING YOURSELF AFTER IT?! YOU HAVE THE GALL TO…"

"Hey Gallio, you got any duct tape on hand?"

"What kind of modern scientist would I be if I didn't? Denise, third cabinet second shelf from the top." Denise ran to the cabinet and grabbed it before running up to Gareth, taping his mouth shut and his arms to his side. "Sweet silence. Thank you, Richard Drew for duct tape. Why didn't I think of this in the first place?"

"You were probably trying to come up with a more permanent solution. Duct tape is great, but you have to find it, then try and hold the person down. It's faster just to press a button and boom, mute."

"That's probably it. Anyway, continue." I told them what had transpired in the last 30 minutes. About how the man was attacking a girl, identified me as working for the Council and proceeded to kick my ass, and the staff he had. When I finished, I turned to Sarah, who seemed lost in thought.

"The staff sounds familiar to me. Do you know what it is?" She gave it a minute of thought before replying.

"The way you described it, it sounds like the Staff of Worms. One of the most powerful items in the field of Necromancy."

"The Staff of Worms? You mean the Staff created by Mannimarco in the Elder Scrolls world?"

"The very one. And it's had multiple users besides Mannimarco, most notably the Hero of Kvatch in most worlds where the Hero saves Tamriel and becomes Arch-Mage of the guild. When the Hero of Kvatch became Sheogorath, most of their items were scattered across Tamriel by looters and thieves. There have been multiple worlds where the staff is one of those stolen items. It narrows down the list considerably but it's still pretty large. We need to narrow our search to world's where the Staff's presence no longer exists."

"We also need to see if any version of Mannimarco was ever locked in the Shadow Vault. It may lead to us knowing where to look in the notes Gallio found." I started to think as Gallio went to where he kept the notes. I must've been silent for some time because when I looked up, Denise and Kira were watching me worriedly while Tyra stood behind her sister, glaring lightly at me.

"What's on your mind, Phoenix," asked Denise. Both her and Kira eyed me curiously as I looked at them trying to come up with an answer.

"Are we sure that there was only one escapee?"

"Yes," replied Tyra behind the two of them. "There have been no other people trying entering world's they're not supposed to be in."

"That's not what I asked Tyra. I asked; 'Are we sure that there was only one escapee?' not if anyone has entered other worlds."

"W-why do you ask," asked Kira. I turned to the timid girl.

"Because of how easy it was for this mage to hide himself from all of you, even the Fates, who should have a clear line of sight for anyone in the Metaverse. Mortal, Immortal, Undead, or God. Yet they can't find him. Denise couldn't sense him if he were dead, undead, or dying. He's somehow able to mask himself from Sarah and has evaded drawing too much attention to himself. All that, and he was able to undo multiple worlds, all at once, and then showed up here? A world where Denise's power is openly being used to shape this world. A place where Death is ever present in the form of a Death Note.

"Something doesn't add up. I get it, he's a Necromancer and openly defies Death in all forms. Not just a Necromancer, mind you, but a Lich. He doesn't manipulate time, only space. So, how could he undo all of those worlds?"

"You're saying you think there's more than one escapee," said Tyra.

"Yes. If you're going to escape a prison, you wouldn't leave alone. You'd break others out and hope the authorities go after them first, just so you can stay free for a few moments longer than them. I need to check out the Shadow Vault personally just to make sure…"

"YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING," shouted Gareth. "You saw Gallio's surveillance on the Vault. Only one person managed to escape! There's no need to go back, just to see the same thing we know to be true. Do you dare question our reasoning?!"

"You don't need to be a dick, Gareth. I'm questioning whether or not you were tricked somehow. It can be quite easy to do so, as we've seen. It's smarter and safer to check up on…"

"You will not give us orders, boy! We've existed longer than your world has been alive! We know more than you do on this sort of topic! Shadow Vault is inescapable!"

"And yet, you have me tracking down someone who escaped the inescapable. If just one person got out, then more can as well. Maybe not the same way, but they can find another way. You need to think rationally and not treat me as a child, when what I say makes sense. Denise?"

"Yes," she replied."

"When I'm done here, can you take me to see the Shadow Vault? Or at least, as close as you can get and then let me check things out?"

"Sure, I can do that. Although having Tyra take you there might be your better, and faster, solution."

"True, but somehow I don't think she'd be agreeable to helping me." I looked to the Manifestation of Space as she continued to glare at me. "Just call it a hunch. And besides, I wouldn't get to spend some time with you if I did that, now would I?" Denise just blushed and tried hiding her face from me. I just smiled and turned to where Gallio and Sarah were talking. "Can you two keep me up to date with your findings?"

"Yes," they both replied distractedly.

"Hey Gallio, any chance you could send over a ranged weapon? Like a gun or a laser or something."

"Don't press your luck, I already sent the PIP boy, armor and shockers. I can't send anything more. Besides, you can't have a gun. You already said you have no experience with one. And a laser would be drawing too much attention to yourself, not to mention that you can't have more tech that's more advanced than the world you're in. If you lose it, it could end up causing an arms race for more of whoever finds it. Sorry."

"Alright, fair enough."

"Besides," said Sarah. "To quote one of my favorite magic users." She cleared her throat and turned to me. "'Magic must defeat magic!' Hold out your hand, Phoenix. I'll send you something."

"Nice Uncle impression by the way," I said as I held out my free hand.

"Thank you. Now hold still." She snapped her fingers, and a wand appeared in my hand in what looked like a holster.

"A wand? Don't I have to be magical in order to use one of these?"

"Someone's been reading Rowling's work. Normally, yes you would. But this wand is special. It unlocks your magical potential, allowing you to use magic. Just be careful. This world has no latent magical energy, which means you can't recharge your reserves with some sleep. You will be drawing magical energy from yourself when you use it, and only yourself. Soul magic tends to be powerful, but its price is costly. The more of it you use, the more it draws power from your very soul. Because of this, your immune to mental control and manipulation. You'll be able to use normal magic when you get to a magical world, but Soul Magic will be your go-to, just because of instinct alone.

"Now Soul magic will benefit you in your current situation. It can be used similarly to normal magic, so manipulation of the elements, telekinesis, like what the mage did against you in the alley, and basic magic bolts are things you can use. There is one thing that makes it differ from normal magic however, and that's it's special ability. Soul magic, for reasons I've yet to understand, can act as a sort of Anti-Magic. It can negate spells, drain energy from a mage and give it to your own reserves, and can redirect any magic spell that is cast at you, if you know how."

"Including spells like the Unforgivables in the Potter-verse?"

"Maybe, I haven't tested that out. It's just too dangerous. Though, it may explain why baby Harry survived that night, and never became an Obscurus when growing up with people like the Dursley's." At the sign of her expression turning grim I turned the discussion away from the subject.

"So how do I activate it."

"Oh, just spin around three times and chant 'make me magical'." She tried hiding her small smirk and I looked at her.

"Now, do you think I'm that gullible? I'm not Gareth." The flailing and muffled shouting coming from him was enough to make us smile, the previous discussion momentarily forgotten.

"Damn, thought you'd at least spin one time before realizing."

"Pacification field makes me more perceptive, remember?"

"Now I do, and I'll keep that in mind from now on. Just treat it like a _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell without an incantation. Give it a swish and a flick and focus on connecting with the wand. When you've accessed your core, I'll send you a basic grimoire. It'll give you instruction on how to use magic at a beginner's level. Now you need to…" she trailed off as they saw me following her instructions with my eyes closed.

From what Denise told me afterwards, it was apparently the single most amazing thing any of them had seen. Black and golden flames surrounded my body and the wand before zeroing in on my heart and head. Once the flames died down, and I felt that it had worked, I opened my eyes, making Denise, Lucy and Sarah gasp. "What's wrong?"

"Your eyes," said Sarah. "their silver." I turned to a nearby mirror and, sure enough, my eyes, once dark brown, almost black, had turned silver. I blinked, trying to see if it was a trick and that they'd go away. When they didn't, I turned back to the screen.

"How...?"

"I don't know," said Sarah. "It might be a result of the Soul Magic, but I've never seen this happen before. It's an anomaly."

"Beautiful," said Denise, not even trying to hide her blush this time.

"Well," said Lucy. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you Kid?"

"Didn't I say not to call me 'Kid'?" She shrugged and grinned. "Now, about that grimoire?"

"Oh, right," said Sarah. She snapped her fingers again, and in place of the wand was a medium sized book. "There you go. Just be sure to practice the spells in private."

"That goes without saying. Hey, is it possible to track a magical signature?"

"I know where you're going with this, and it won't work. Telekinesis spells don't leave a lasting signature like most spells. It's not a directed energy spell like magic or fire bolts or the spells from the Potter-verse. It's the magic version of the latent psychic power found in psychokinetic people of other worlds. Sorry. We can't track him that way. And because it's a low power spell, it's probably why he used it against you, not just to throw you around, but to stop you from tracking him, and to limit how much magic he uses."

"Well, it may be low powered, but it still hurts being thrown into a wall. I'll track him another way. Oh yeah. Hey Gallio! Where are those tracking devices compatible with the Hunter Armor?" He looked up from the notes and turned to me.

"I scrapped them."

"Why?"

"They kept malfunctioning and destroying my labs. I finally got fed up with them and scrapped them."

"Ok, what about the power modulator and A.I.?"

"I made the armor compatible with A.I.? Huh. Must've been high. Sorry, no A.I. available. Don't trust them. I'd have to base them off of an existing consciousness. I don't have anyone to base it off of. And I can barely stand myself on a good day. You think I'm gonna base an A.I. after my own mind? One of me is more than enough.

"As for the power modulator, I think I have it powering my toaster."

"…You…use it…for a toaster."

"Don't give me that look. I stole the toaster from the Sink in the Big Empty. It was water damaged and kept complaining that it needed more power to work. So, I converted the armor's power modulator to work with the toaster."

"You gave a homicidal toaster a device to better manage power for a high-powered stealth suit. Why?"

"I wanted better toast."

"Please tell me you're joking." He stayed silent for a few seconds, completely straight-faced, before he broke out into a grin.

"I'm totally fucking with you. It's powering your PIP boy. I can whip up another and be done in three days." He started laughing, causing me to chuckle along with him. "That look on your face was priceless. I can't believe I managed to stay serious for as long as I did."

"To be fair, I just met you. For all I know, you actually would do that. Given that Think Tank inventions are deadlier and superior." I smirked as he stopped laughing. "Two can play the troll game Gallio. And you can't beat me."

"Challenge accepted, Phoenix. I'll get started on the power modulator right now. Denise, you go through the notes while I'm working."

"What?!" she yelled, making me cringe slightly. "Why me?!" He turned to her, glaring. She replied by shivering in fear before turning to the notes and doing what Gallio 'asked' her to do. I looked at him.

"Why are you guys so hard on her?"

"Well, I'm hard on her because she's a klutz. She's come into my lab and ruined everything in a matter of seconds on multiple occasions. So, I've threatened to have her test my more… questionably stable experiments."

"As for me," said Lucy. "She's taken and ruined a few of my favorite outfits. I've hexed her with bad luck because of that."

"That seems a bit much for both of you," I said. "She doesn't deserve that. And what about the rest of you?"

"M-me and Tyra don't mess with her. She's nice." Said Kira. "And Gareth doesn't like anyone."

"Meh," said Sarah. "I just do it for the hell of it. It's pretty easy." By this point it looked like Denise had anime tears running down her face. I sighed and looked at them.

"Please stop messing with her. She doesn't deserve it. You want my help? Do me this favor and leave Denise alone." I don't know what happened, but apparently something about me scared them enough to nod in compliance. "Good. I'm going to hang up now. Gallio, please let me know as soon as the new Power Modulator is done." I stopped the call and turned off the Pacification Field before lying on my bed. "I really hope that we find this bastard soon. I owe him a beating." With that I fell asleep.

The next four days were uneventful, unless you count Tyra dropping the Power Modulator on my head when it was ready, that led to an argument that broke her sister, who couldn't decide who to back up. We called a temporary truce and I dropped the matter entirely. After equipping the Power Modulator to the armor, the Stealth Field's efficiency rose from 53% to 88% and would last for almost three hours. Ready to follow Raye as he shadowed Tsukiko Yagami.

I left a few minutes before he did and watched from a nearby rooftop as Raye left the hotel. He hailed a cab and started to head out. I started following, instinctively making myself faster by channeling Soul Magic into my legs. I was keeping up with the car, not even realizing what I was doing. I just kept following the car, jumping from roof to roof. I had no idea I was being watched by three different sets of eyes.

When we got to Raye's destination, I made my way to street level and equipped the armor. I activated the Stealth Field and started following him. He soon started following a girl with long, light brown hair, and a neutral expression on her face. 'This must be Tsukiko. Perfect.' I started following the two of them for a few minutes before I noticed a shadow besides Tsukiko. Imagine my surprise when I saw Ryuk fly down and start floating right beside her. 'Ryuk? How am I seeing him? I don't have a Death Note.' I decided to keep following them until Raye was done shadowing her for the day. As soon as he left, I followed Tsukiko, periodically turning off and on the Stealth Field to make it last a bit longer. When she got to her house, she went inside while Ryuk stayed outside. I went up to him and decided to try and mess with him. I chucked a rock at his head and saw it pass through. "Hmm?!" He looked around frantically trying to see where it came from before his eyes fell upon me. "What the…?"

I stayed still to see if the Stealth Field could work against him and watched as he got closer to me. I covered my nose and dropped the Stealth Field when he was a few inches from my face. "Dude. You need a mint. Your breath smells like a zombie decided to sun bathe and started cooking whatever rotting meat is left on it."

"WAHH!" shouted Ryuk as he stumbled away from me. "How did you do that?!"

"Sorry, trade secret." I brought out a fresh apple and tossed it to him. "Catch. There's more where that came from if you help me." He caught the apple and immediately devoured it before turning to me as I held another apple out to him. He tried swiping it from me and missed as I moved it away from him.

"Rrrrgh," he growled. I could see him scratching at his arms like a drug addict before giving in. "Alright Fine! Just give me the apple!" I tossed it to him and he devoured it as fast as the first one.

"Good boy. I need to talk with the owner of Sidoh's Death Note. And yes, I know whose note that is. Have her meet me at Shibuya tomorrow at noon. As for how she'll find me, I won't be hard to miss. Do that and you'll get three lady pinks." I could see the Shinigami salivating and smirked. "Relay my message please. And tell her my name is Phoenix Mason. It's impolite that I know who she is, yet she has no idea as to who I am. With that, I tossed him one more apple and started walking away, activating the Stealth Field.


	3. Complications

Tsukiko Yagami's P.O.V.:

When Ryuk told me someone by the name of Phoenix Mason, not only could see Ryuk, but knew who I was and wanted to see me, to say I was shocked was an understatement. I wasn't just shocked, I was nervous, scared, and furious. Somehow, someway, someone managed to figure out who I was, knew where I lived, knew about the Death Note, and apparently can become invisible. "Ryuk, please tell me again; how is he able to do this?"

"I told you. I don't know. One second, I'm about to find out more about the person following you, as you asked, the next second a rock flies at my head and I'm trying to see what happened. Then I smell apples and am trying to find where they are and suddenly, he appears right in front of me. He tosses me an apple gives me his message and then disappears again."

"Ryuk, are you sure you didn't eat a bad apple beforehand?"

"I'm a Shinigami, Tsukiko. No poisons can affect me. I know what I saw, and I know what I heard. He wants to meet you at Shibuya tomorrow. And for some reason, I wouldn't mess with him. You'll see what I mean when we go tomorrow."

"You're assuming that I'm actually going tomorrow."

"You're saying you don't want to find the person who figured out you're Kira? Come on. I've only known you a few weeks, and I can tell you're curious. You want to know who this guy is, and if he can lead you to L, don't you?" Even though I wouldn't say it, he was right. Someone knew who I was. They knew about Shinigami and the Death Note. They could either be a very powerful ally, or a dangerous enemy. But I still held the cards. Meeting this Phoenix Mason could prove beneficial. Depending on how this meeting goes, I can guarantee victory.

"Fine. We'll go to Shibuya. But I need to do something about our shadow, and since you won't give me a name, and you won't kill him yourself, I'll have to find another way to deal with him." I stood from my chair and went to my night stand. "I had planned on running a few tests with the Death Note, but this meeting is more important. Guess I can miss one day of school for it. I'm changing Ryuk, get out."

The next morning as I was trying to come up with a plan to get to school when, for some reason, we got a call from the principal. The school was closed for the day due to some unknown circumstances. 'Is this Phoenix's doing?' I thought to myself. I called up a few friends from school asking them if they wanted to go to Shibuya. With that in place, all that was left was to meet up with my friends, head to Shibuya, and meet this Phoenix Mason in person. It wasn't hard losing my shadow in the crowd, it was even easier to lose my friends, as they were distracted by a new clothing line in a clothing store. The hard part was trying to find Phoenix Mason, Ryuk said I'd be able to tell where he was easily, but I've never seen the man before.

Then I noticed a man standing by a stoplight at Shibuya crossing, tossing an apple up into the air. He was dressed in blue jean pants and a grey shirt with an open red jacket and sunglasses. "Ryuk, is that him?"

"Yeah that's him. Same creepy aura he had earlier." When the man saw us, he grinned and started heading towards the Hachiko statue. "Should we follow him?"

"Doesn't seem like we have a choice. We don't have long before our shadow finds us again. Let's go, Ryuk." We followed him towards the statue but lost him in the crowd. I tried to locate him and couldn't find him at all. Ryuk even tried to fly up and spot him from above. Then I suddenly felt a small shock before a voice spoke into my ear, soft enough for only me to hear.

"Hello, Tsukiko Yagami," he said behind me. I tried turning my head to see him but couldn't as he had something digging into my back. "I take it you have an idea as to who I am?"

"Phoenix Mason," I replied, anger welling up inside me. I couldn't believe I let myself get into this situation.

"Correct ma'am. Now, I'm going to make this quick. I need your help, and in exchange, I'll help you out in your plans, Kira." That had confirmed it, he knew I was Kira. I needed to get the upper hand and I needed to get it fast. "Now, I'm going to move my weapon away, and you are going to slowly reach into your bag and hand me the Death Note."

"Why should I give it to you? For all I know, you could use it to kill me and then calmly walk away without a care in the world. That's why you won't show me your face, because I could easily do the same."

"Great points, except for one thing. I'm assuming Ryuk told you of my little disappearing act. Cause if he did, then you know I don't need the Death Note to kill you. I could kill you right now and take it. But I won't because I need your help. In exchange, I'm offering my services and talents in any way you need. Diplomacy works more often than a bloody blade. To prove my intentions, I'll tell you this.

"Your shadow is an American agent of the FBI. Raye Penber. Now, I can turn him away from his investigations of you and your family, without killing him or the other FBI agents. You've been killing a lot recently, but despite your precautions, the path you're on will lead to the death of Kira. Now, the only way I could held is if you give me the Death Note, or at least a few pages of it. I Will keep up the killings for a few days in a pattern that doesn't lead to you. So far, you've killed someone, impulsively when they claimed to be L and put a target on your back. You should have waited a few days before killing the man.

"That impulsiveness and unwillingness to lose will cost you greatly in the future. Acting like a child is a sure way to get caught. You've been able to kill people because of your closeness to the police, your father being the example. That's why the FBI are investigating you. This world is reaching an age of limitless information. You'll need new ways of dealing with the criminals after a certain number of years. Otherwise, anyone with a computer will be able to track you down. That isn't a threat, it's a fact. Computers will be advancing rapidly in the coming years. And, short of killing all computer manufacturers and analysts and sending this planet back to the Stone Age, making your job as god even harder for the public to believe, there's nothing you can do.

I stood there listening, a grim look on my face. He was right. As much as I wanted to deny it, he was right. Phoenix Mason had just told me that my plans for this world would be crumbling down before me in a few years, no matter what I did. He'd covered bases I was going to worry about when the time came. He even accounted for the fact that normal people could find me, not just law enforcement. I had no choice. I had to work with him. "Alright, I'll give you a few pages from the Death Note. Not the entire thing. What do you want me to do?"

"That's a discussion for another day. For now, you should get back to your friends. I've slipped a burner into your bag. When I know the FBI are no longer investigating anyone in the police department, I'll contact you. If you need help, my number is already saved on it. As for L, he is more unpredictable. His intelligence is among the highest in the world. Hell, he managed to coax out your location by way of a very clever ruse. One not many would ever consider. That beast is better left to the two of us working together to deal with him. Without killing him. Lind L. Tailor can be easily explained as killed because Kira knew of his crimes and saw the perfect opportunity to kill him, but L? No. We need him alive. He is merely trying to uphold what he sees as justice after all. The more… fanatical can deal with him at a later point.

"Now get going. And tell Ryuk his payment is in your bag. Oh, and your welcome for the day off. Sorry if your school is a bit damaged."

"What exactly did you do?"

"Your better off not knowing. Plausible deniability and all that." With that, I could feel him step away. I turned around quickly, trying to get a glimpse of his face, but all I saw was a shimmer, moving through the crowd quickly, avoiding contact with everyone. _'Phoenix Mason. Just who the hell are you?'_ I quickly found my way back to my friends, Ryuk flying overhead. All I could do was wait.

Phoenix's P.O.V.:

After my, admittedly confrontational, first meeting with Tsukiko, I managed to hide myself within the crowd again and followed her back to where she left her friends. I found Raye waiting outside where Tsukiko was catching up to her friends. I chucked a pebble at his head making him turn away as Tsukiko made it into the store. When Raye didn't see me and turned back to the store, he saw the girls exiting with a bunch of bags and decided there was nothing going on, he started walking away. I made sure he was fully gone before turning back to girls, and coming face to face with another Shinigami. One with white hair, a skeletal frame, and what looked like bandages around its right eye and blue markings on light blue markings on it's face. I did my best not to seem surprised as it examined me. _'What the…? Rem? What's she doing here?! She's early isn't she?!'_

I watched calmly as Rem examines me. She doesn't seem to notice I can see her as I walk passed her. I kept a close eye on her as she followed me. It was a few minutes of walking aimlessly, doing nothing but taking in the sights as Rem continued to follow me. "Other than the eyes," she said to herself. "I don't see why Gelus wanted me to watch him. He's just an ordinary human. This is a waste of time." I watched as she flew back up into the sky and disappeared through a nearly visible portal in the sky.

 _'Gelus? Isn't that the name of the first Shinigami who fell in love with Misa Amane? Why is he taking an interest in me? I haven't done anything to draw his attention have I? There hasn't been much I've done of any significance.'_ I shook my head of those thoughts and started walking to a cab. _'There's no time to dwell on that anyways. Raye Penber needs to stop following Tsukiko, so I can get her to help me. I can't track down the mage yet or guess what he's planning on my own. He's managed to block the Council on almost all fronts. Some mortal influence is needed for this. I'm not smart enough on my own. I'd prefer having both Tsukiko and L help me with this, but I'm limited on options and have been from the get-go. For now, I just need to focus on getting the FBI agents to stop following them.'_ I get into a cab and feel like someone is watching me. I look around discretely and try to spot who is watching me. I manage to find two people observing me. The first is the woman from the other day. I hadn't noticed she'd been nearby at all, I was too focused on getting to Tsukiko and earning her trust. I only spent time to myself to find a place to unequip the armor and head back into the crowd. _'How long has she been following me? Was she trying to thank me for the other day? I need to keep my head on a swivel from now on. If that had been the mage, I'd have been done for, and there would've been quite a few casualties as well.'_

The next person I noticed made me swear and kick myself mentally. It was Tsukiko Yagami. Next to her was a chuckling Ryuk, no doubt having told her where I was. I made eye contact with her and held it for a few seconds. If she was startled by the color of my eyes, she didn't show it. I gave her a discrete nod and told the cab driver where to go. _'And now she knows what I look like. Great. All that time trying to limit her knowledge of me until I needed to meet her in person down the drain. No doubt she'll be watching for any sign of me now. Whether in the news or near her house or school.'_ I sighed and resisted fiddling with the PIP boy as the cab brought me to the hotel. I was thankful the hotel had a bar and sat down at a stool. I ordered a couple of beers and sighed as someone sat down next to me. I looked to see Raye sitting next to me, looking exhausted.

"You look like how I feel Raye."

"And what's that?"

"Like shit." We both laughed, and I offered him my second beer. He accepted and took a few swigs before placing the bottle back on the bar. "How's the negotiations going?"

"The what? Oh, yeah that. Not well."

"You gonna stop bullshitting Raye?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're not a business man. Your hands look like their use to holding a gun more than typing at a keyboard. Then there's the fact that you always keep your guard up. Looking for anyone suspicious or for any ounce of trouble. Head on a swivel, waiting for someone to try and sneak up on you. As much as you try and hide it, when something is drilled in your head, it stays there, and you can't help but subconsciously keep to that training."

"Whoa. How'd you notice all that?"

"I tend to be more perceptive than most. Everyone has a quirk, a tell, spotting it takes practice. Spotting it discretely takes talent." _'Or a device that makes you calm and more perceptive. Good thing I found a personal setting on that thing. Otherwise, Raye might have noticed a few things about me.'_

"Ok. I'll tell you. But first you gotta answer my question. How do you know to look for stuff like that? You a cop?" _'Saw that one coming. Good thing I already have an answer.'_

"Not a cop. I worked security at a casino in Vegas for a few years. My job was spotting when someone wasn't winning legitimately. Either because they managed to swap the cards, or their buddy was working for the casino and they rigged the game. My boss was a former cop though, made sure we were observant to the point of being over perceptive about a lot of things. Saved my ass on a number of occasions and gotten me into trouble on a lot more."

"Why'd you quit?" I shrugged, trying to make it believable. "Things got boring after a bit. So, I gave my two weeks, cashed my last check and made my way here to Tokyo. Was planning on doing something new but so far nothing has popped up yet. Now you answer me. Who are you, really, Raye Penber?" He looked around cautiously and showed me his badge. I looked at it then at him. "FBI, huh? Didn't know you guys had any jurisdiction here."

"Let's just say this op is off the books. We're looking for Kira, under the orders of L. I assume you saw the broadcast?"

"Nope. I only heard about it on the news. I arrived here the same time you did Raye. Remember?"

"Right, well a person who goes by the moniker L laid a trap out for Kira all around the world. Several different live feeds were set up to start at different times, using men on death row to pose as L to see if Kira would kill them for defying him. That would apparently let him know where Kira was operating from. It led us here to Tokyo."

"L sounds like a smart man."

"He's probably the smartest man on the planet."

"Another question, why are you telling me this?" I turned to him and saw he was flushed. 'Dudes a fucking lightweight. He barely had a few sips of beer.'

"I'm telling you this because I feel I can trust you. It's not like you're Kira after all."

"I'm starting to think offering you a beer was a very bad idea. You're already buzzed."

"I'm fine."

"You're not. Come on, I'll help you back to your room." After getting him back to his room, I made my way back to my own room and called the Council. It was Kira who answered this time. There was no sign of the others. I smiled at the timid girl on the screen, making her blush. "Hey Kira, where's everyone else?"

"Um, Gallio is in his second lab working on a project, Gareth is being God in some world, Sarah is meditating in her chambers, Lucy decided to go to a version of Vegas she isn't banned from, the Fates are still trying to track the mage and Denise is checking on things in the void, trying to see if the mage has killed anyone recently. Oh, and Tyra is sleeping."

"You guys sleep?"

"Only Tyra, and only when she's feeling lazy."

"How often is that?"

"Very."

"Enough said then. Would you mind getting Sarah and finding Denise for me please?"

"I could just teleport them both here."

"You can do that?"

"Part of being Tyra's twin, I can tap into her powers and she can do the same with mine."

"In other words, Time and Space being intertwined. That's pretty cool" I smiled again, and she turned away slightly, messing with one of her bangs.

"I-I'll bring them here right now, Phoenix."

"Alright." I watched as her color pattern switched to her sisters and she held out her hand. Two purple circles appeared on the floor in front of her and between her and the console. The first to show up was Sarah, in the basic lotus position and repeating a mantra under her breath. I turned to the second circle as Denise finally came through. I froze for just a little too long as my brain tried to comprehend what I had just seen. Denise had apparently returned from the Void and had apparently been taking a shower when Kira brought her into the lab.

Denise looked around confused when she wasn't getting hit by a stream of water and spotted me on the holo-screen. I couldn't react fast enough as she started blushing heavily and shrieked. This apparently woke up Sarah from her meditation as she opened her eyes and looked around. I tried to turn away as Denise covered her chest with one arm and swung the other in my direction. A hand shaped shadow came from the holo-screen on my end and slapped me before covering my eyes.

"S-sorry Denise. I didn't know you had gotten back. This is my fault." Denise turned to her and sighed, trying to get control of herself. I can't blame you for this.

"Is it safe to assume I'm gonna get blamed?" I asked. She turned to me with a glare about to say something when I realized something. "Um Denise, I know your gonna be more upset with me for this, but somehow I can see through the shadow hand." I cringed as realization struck Denise slowly. She shrieked again and bolted from the room, leaving an embarrassed Kira and a laughing Sarah in the lab.

"Oh man," said Sarah. "I can't believe I missed the first part! Hey Phoenix, remind me to make a copy of this memory!" She fell to the ground laughing and clutching her sides. This was the scene the rest of the council saw when they walked into the lab to find out what was happening.

"What's going on," asked Tyra, rubbing her eyes as she was waking up. Her sister immediately went to her side.

"Why is the floor to my lab wet," asked Gallio. I could see soot covering him from head to toe. Apparently Denise's shrieking had disrupted his experiment, which had exploded in his face.

"Whatever happened, your peon is the reason," said Gareth. I saw him wearing a ridiculous looking robe that somehow made him seem more arrogant, and a large sword dangling from his hand. I couldn't hold back my sniggers as both me and Sarah spotted the sword. And what the hell is so funny?!"

"Oh, nothing Gareth," I told him, glad for the small distraction. As soon as the words 'small distraction' came to mind, I had to hold back even more laughter, Sarah apparently caught on to my thoughts and started acting the same as me.

Annoyed, Gareth started leaving the room. If this doesn't concern me, I'll rid myself of your childish antics. "Now, if any of you need me, I'll be in one of my personal worlds dealing with a small problem that requires my immediate attention." And with that, we lost it. Gareth stopped as his words caught up to his brain and he glanced at his sword before turning to us. "Both of you grow up! This is really immature!"

"Don't you have somewhere to be that's not going to deafen me even more Gareth," said Gallio, cleaning out his ear that was closest to the Manifestation of Life. Gareth simply nodded and left the room. "Good luck with the inadequacy issues!" He smirked as Gareth shouted out in frustration and me and Sarah laughed even harder. Even Kira giggled this time. "As much fun as messing with Gareth is, was there a reason for this call?"

"There is," I replied. "But I gotta wait for Denise. There was a… very embarrassing situation that caused her to run out of the room."

"What," said Lucy having heard that last part as she walked into the room. "Did you see her naked or something?" Hearing this, both me and Kira blushed as the memory of the incident rushed back. "WHAT?! YOU ACTUALLY SAW HER NAKED?!"

"I-it was an accident. H-he said he wanted to speak with her and Sarah. I offered to tap into Tyra's power and bring them both to the lab. B-but I'm not sister, I couldn't feel where exactly Denise was, I could only lock on to her position and bring her here. I didn't know she was back in the citadel and in her shower. If I had known…" she then started rambling to herself in a small voice and only Tyra could hear her after a certain point.

"Well, that explains the small puddles on the floor," said Gallio, seemingly uncaring. "Did you need all of us or just Denise and Sarah?"

"You can stay if you want. I'm just gonna be asking questions and tossing out ideas. You sure can't make me a…"

"In that case, I'll be in my other lab. I need to fix what was broken when Sarah decided she could just ruin my eardrums," he said as he started walking out of the lab.

"It wasn't her decision and wasn't her fault."

"Don't care. Leaving now." As he walked out of the lab, Denise poked her head half way passed the corner, giving me a glare could kill. Considering who was giving the glare, I wouldn't be surprised it could if she wanted it to.

"You can't be mad at me forever. It was an accident. How were we supposed to know you were in the shower?"

"I'm not mad because of that!" she shouted, poking her head fully around the corner. I couldn't help admiring how cute she looked when like this.

"Then, what the hell are you angry at?!"

"You stared…"

"…That's all?"

"What do you mean 'that's all'?! It was a private moment! I was naked! It was embarrassing!"

"I'm sorry! You just looked so beautiful! I couldn't help myself! By the time I realized what exactly I was seeing, and I tried to look away, I'd already been staring for a couple of seconds. I'm a young mortal man. I'm going to have impulse control when it comes to a beautiful naked woman in front of me, especially when I just met her not that long ago. I'm sorry." I'd been so busy ranting and explaining I didn't realize what words were coming out of my mouth. It took Denise's extremely red face to snap the pieces together, and once they did, I blushed almost as much as she did. It was a few seconds before Sarah decided to chime in.

"As entertaining as this is, can we get down to business? I believe you're on a schedule."

"R-right," I managed to stammer out. I cleared my throat and turned on the Pacification Field to try and calm down after that. When I felt it start working, I turned to the child-like deity. "Is there any way to coax out our mage friend? Trick him into using his magic in an attempt to track him down?"

"Uh, not that I know of. Nothing short of a reveal aura spell could do that. But it's not an area of effect spell. You have to physically lay your hands on him to activate it. It's also a slightly more advanced spell than what's in the grimoire. What brought this on?"

"A discussion I had with Raye Penber. He reminded me of how Light was tricked into killing Lind L. Tailor and showing his power in person, on a localized live feed. I figured we could try the same thing, but with magic."

"Smart idea, but not something that would completely work, not without the backlash of him killing anyone within the area, just to send the message. Unlike Light, the mage isn't as limited when it comes to killing. And while I'm sure he might just use a wide range A.O.E. spell, we have to consider he won't let himself be tracked that easily and might just discretely kill everyone in the area of the spell."

"Damn," I said. "I hadn't considered that. Well there's that plan off the table." I sighed and rubbed my shoulder. "Remind me to ask Gallio to make the holo-device detachable, or at least make a separate device. My arm is killing me."

"Just use your magic to strengthen your arm. It's not difficult to do."

"I don't know how to do that."

"What are you talking about? It's one of the first things in the grimoire." At my sheepish grin she narrows her eyes. "Phoenix, have you even opened the grimoire?"

"Admittedly, no. I've been busy trying to track down a mage without any notable descriptions. Sorry if learning magic takes a backseat to trying to make sure an entire world isn't undone."

"I gave you my gift! I went out of my way to give you a leg up on the escapee! The least you could do is practice so you don't get killed! I'd hate for my experiment to be ruined before it even starts!"

"Experiment?"

"Oh, I said that last part out loud, didn't I?"

"What did you mean by experiment?"

"Well… I wasn't exactly sure the wand would work. I was sure it would burst into flames before it could do what it was designed for. I wasn't expecting it to work, especially not so spectacularly or efficiently as it did. You're now my magical experiment, so you better do what you're supposed to!"

"Wow. I expected that from Gallio. Should've done the same for you, Sarah. At least Gallio is kind enough to say I'm an experiment from the start."

"DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM! WE'RE NOTHING ALIKE!"

"Don't magical and scientific fields both require extensive research, trial and error, and mastery," said Denise, a small almost unnoticeable smirk on her face. Sarah belched as she heard that and stopped whatever rant she was about to start. "And for that matter, don't both lead to a type of progress for societies as a whole?" Sarah said nothing and quietly left the room.

"D-did Denise just make Sarah stop a tantrum?" asked Lucy.

"Denise suddenly seems more confident," said Tyra.

"I wonder what happened," said Kira, though I noticed her glance at me without the others noticing.

"Now then," said Denise. "I believe you had a question for me?"

"Would there be any reason for Gelus to act out of the ordinary?"

"Gelus the Shinigami who fell for Misa Amane?"

"The very one."

"Not that I can think of. The Shinigami of this multiverse generally have the same personalities in every world, with few exceptions. Why?"

"Gelus sent Rem down to Earth to check me out for some reason."

"That's odd. Did you happen to ask why?"

"No. I pretended that she wasn't there and waited for her to leave. I wasn't about to make her suspicious of me. Not when I have a chance to keep Misa out of this mess. My plans on gaining Tsukiko's trust and aid hinge on there not being a second Death Note to deal with and potentially let the mage get his hands on. I can only guess that he was searching for one earlier. Though why he went after that woman, I have no idea."

"Could it have been Misa Amane?"

"I doubt it. And if it was, then we have a problem. Because the woman from before was at Shibuya. And if Gelus has been watching her and saw me protect her."

"Gelus may have gotten jealous or suspicious. And since Rem is his only friend he probably sent her to see what she could find out about you."

"If Misa gets involved then I have to get to her before she sends the video tape to the news station. The second L gets wind of a second Kira, then I have to run damage control and try and stop Tsukiko from killing L if I can help it." I groaned and rubbed my neck. "So stressful. Dammit all. How do y'all deal with stuff like this all the time?"

"Simple," said Tyra, "we just get a stupid mortal to do the work for us." She grinned smugly at me and chuckled.

"You realize without my help, y'all are boned right? Which brings to question, why are y'all relying on me? On any mortal really?"

"When we were selected to be the Manifestations," said Lucy. "We were told to only interact with the Prime Worlds. We were to have no personal interactions with Mortal worlds on Variant worlds. We weren't given an explanation, only that we needed their stories to play out naturally."

"Makes sense."

"It does?"

"Yeah, your job is to influence the Prime worlds and ensure they develop around one, two, or all of your fields of influence. They don't need any more guidance afterwards, it just becomes redundant."

"And you would know this because…"

"Well your entire existence focuses on balance. Life and Death, Time and Space, Science and Magic, Luck and Fate. Each of those pairs are equal in power and are polar opposites but cannot exist without the other. One can never be more than the other. You balance each other out. Your combined influence makes sure that mortals experience each of your fields. We start with Life, being born, and experience each of the others at any or all points in our lives, until we end with Death. Even if we've only experienced Magic in dreams, as children we experience a small semblance of it.

"Luck comes in times when it seems we are at your lowest. Fate ordains how long we live once we are born, Time and Space help us guide ourselves until we meet our Fates and we then head to Death. Look at any world. Not just my own, any worlds. The cycle is the same no matter what we see."

"Huh, why did I never see it like that?"

"Maybe because you experience it every day. You just never notice it because you're too used to it. What I've noticed about all of you is you're not like the gods from any single world. They were created to represent the basic elements and explain how things work. No matter the culture, from my world as an example, the gods were the first things mortals knew stories of. Because of this, the gods are all seen to act like Gareth.

"They are depicted as arrogant, self-important, and infallible, treating mortals with contempt, if they were ever beaten by a mortal that mortal was severely punished. Arachne and Medusa from Greek mythology as examples. But, you guys, you weren't created for this. You were chosen. Chosen to help oversee the Metaverse. This would normally give people, especially most gods, a sense of entitlement and importance. And, given Gareth's behavior, he was a god chosen to represent Life. I can only guess you were all mortals, besides the Fates of course." At their nods I look at Lucy. "When you say chosen, who chose you? Your predecessors?"

"In a way," replied Denise. "Our predecessors told us we were to take their place. They were given a choice of who would represent their influence the best. They'd received visions of who would best carry on after them. Once the visions begin, we know our times are coming, either for us to Fade from Existence, or… something else. It was the same for them and their predecessors. The Boss seems to have knowledge of when something is gonna happen."

"Your boss?"

"The Metaverse," said Kira. "Our boss is the Metaverse itself."

"The Metaverse is sentient?"

"In a way. It can't communicate normally. It just sends us visions as instructions. That's the only way we've ever gotten instructions."

"Other than that," said Tyra. "We've been pretty much making it up as we go along. There hasn't been anything to worry about before the escape. Since then, we haven't received any instructions. This has been worrying the Fates more than anything. Sure, there have been times when we have long periods of time without instructions, but to them, this feels different."

"Like something is blocking instructions?"

"That's what they think. But if there was something capable of blocking our connection to the Metaverse, wouldn't be able to tell?"

"I honestly don't know. You guys have been at this way longer than I have. I've only been at this for a few days. Despite my insights, you guys do have more knowledge about this than I do."

"Still," said Denise. "We don't know much. There's been very little disturbances. We don't know what to expect. It's been relatively quiet since even before we became the Manifestations." I stayed quiet and started thinking to myself about the current circumstances. We were missing something big, I couldn't tell what it was. _'There's no way this mage had enough power to destroy that wall. I know their strong, but it's a far cry from destroying a wall to a prison meant to house threats to the Metaverse itself. And now I'm learning the Fates are worried because they haven't received word from the Metaverse since the breakout. Why do I have a bad feeling all of a sudden?'_ "Was there anything else Phoenix?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. How am I able to see the Shinigami without having touched a Death Note?"

"Oh, right. You did say you saw both Ryuk and Rem. Hmm… Maybe because you were already dead, and are basically just a spirit inhabiting an artificial body?"

"You mean you don't know?"

"Sorry!" she said with a smile. I sighed and looked at her, smiling.

"Gee, thanks. I guess I'll figure it out on my own. Oh, while I have you. When Gallio's done with his experiment, whatever it is, can you ask if he can make a couple of contacts to block my silver eyes? Their a bit too noticeable."

"Can't you just buy a pair?" said Tyra.

"Yeah, but they don't work. The silver just shines through them. I need Gallio to make a pair that could potentially block them out. He can do whatever he wants with them, as long as I don't go blind. Tell him those are my conditions please."

"You got it!" said Denise.

"Denise doing something she's been asked to do without a whine or complaint," said Lucy. "Never thought I'd see that."

"Maybe if you tried asking, thanking, and appreciating her more often, she'd have a different reaction than what you're used to."

"Meh, sounds like too much work. I'll just stick to what I know."

"Denise, how do you put up with it?" I turned to her and noticed anime tears streaming down her face.

"It doesn't get any easier. Especially when I can't use my scythe to threaten them!"

"Why can't you use your scythe?"

"She gets a bit… slice happy when she takes her scythe out," said Tyra. "Last time she destroyed nearly the entire building. Gareth and I took her scythe, tossed it into a random world and made sure she couldn't call it back to her, just for the sake of our sanity."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you're less sane than you think you are." I grunted as a wash basin smashed on top of my head.

"What was that?!"

"I'm not taking it back. You two can't be considered sane in any sense of the term." I smirked as Kira held her sister back as she tried charging at the screen. "Well this has been fun, but I've got an investigation to foil and an escapee to capture. I'll talk to y'all later." I hung up as Denise waved and Tyra started yelling. I looked at the PIP boy and took the pages from my inventory.

"As much as I don't want to, I know I have to do this. Kira has to draw the FBI and L away from Japan at this moment." As I was about to write on the pages, there was a knock on the door. I hid the pages back in the PIP boy and turned to the door. "That better not be Raye. I swear, if he's trying to get me to buy him more beer…" I went to the door and opened it, only to pause as I saw who was at my door.

"So," said Gareth. "You're choosing to stay in this establishment. I must admit. I thought you'd give yourself a much nicer room, one with a view."

"Convenience and necessity outweigh luxury. Gareth, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I've come to help?"

"You help? In the short time I've known you, you've gone out of your way to make my job even harder, not giving me info, not coming up with a plan, and throwing me to the metaphorical wolves, come to mind."

"I had to make sure the others thought I wanted nothing to do with you. It makes the next part much easier to handle."

"And that part is?"

"Simple, it's the same offer you gave Miss Yagami. I help you, and you help me."

"Why would you help me? And also, why the secrecy?"

"First; I want the criminal placed back in the Vault, if they can be put back without a problem. The inmates of the Shadow Vault are in there for a reason. They've all become threats to the Council and, more importantly, to balance within the Metaverse as a whole. Whether through physical presence, intelligence, or some other circumstance, they would be able to shake the fabric of reality and unleash something… worse than you could possibly imagine. They will continue to try and enter the Prime Worlds and undo the fate they were forced to suffer. Be it defeat, death, or humiliation. From what I've seen, and what you've reported, somehow, more than just the one prisoner has escaped. The how remains a mystery, but the why I believe I know."

"And the reason their doing this is..?"

"They want to weaken us enough so that they can depose us and become the Council themselves." I stared at him for a second. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only thing that makes sense. The worlds targeted were chosen seemingly at random. But I did some checking in on them. Each of the undone Universes revolved around at least two of our fields of influence. Including this one."

"What do you mean?"

"The Shinigami King doesn't just have the Master Death Note. The King also possesses another object. One the others are not aware of."

"And that object is?"

"An experiment of my predecessor. A Master Life Note."

"A Master Life Note? What does that do?"

"A number of things. Restore one's soul to their body after they have died, control the events and actions of any individual written in it. And a number of things I'm not aware of. I did not create it, I do not know the extent of its capabilities. But, I fear it can disrupt the balance preserved by myself and Denise. If it's anything like the Master Death Note, it can create other Life Notes and write the rules they can follow."

"Wait, go back. Did you just say it can control the events of the life of the individual whose name is written in it?"

"Yes."

"But that means that if can control Fate, not just Life…" I trailed off as what it could possibly do dawned on me. Gareth must've seen the color drain from my face as he turned to me.

"And if it can control Fate, who's to say it can't control all of the other Fields of Influence. If the Master Life Note can do that, whoever controls it, can controls the entire Metaverse."

"How could something like this even exist? How could your predecessor even create it, for that matter?"

"I have a theory. One that requires extensive research on a topic that's never been discussed by the current Council. If I can find evidence, I may have an idea as to how it was created, and what to do next if the both of us are right about more than one escapee."

"Why haven't you brought this up with the Council? Why all the secrecy?"

"Because, I believe someone on the Council is a traitor and is responsible for the escape from the Shadow Vault."


	4. Humbling Tsukiko Yagami

"Wait, wait, wait. You think one of the Council broke the mage out?! Where did you come up with that conclusion?!"

"Simple. What the rest of the Council thought the undone worlds had nothing in common. But they only needed one thing in common with each other to weaken us as they did. Yes, undoing a world would weaken us drastically, but not as much as these have. What they all have in common is how much we've played a part in their worlds. Well, their Primes. Two or all of us influenced their Primes when they were being shaped and solidified. By us, I mean Council members as a whole, past and present. But, what also made them targets is the fact that either us, or our predecessors, influenced that particular Variant World. This one included, and especially.

"Because of that, our abilities and forms are especially powered by these worlds and others like them. This world, if it's undone, will essentially be the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. And because of my suspicions, I couldn't relay this to anyone. I'll admit, I don't like you. I don't like any mortals. But I understood that your involvement was necessary, especially when our other candidates' worlds were undone. They were home to intelligent mortals, more so than average. And each one was undone, it could've been any world but theirs were specifically targeted. Yours was an average Hub World. It wasn't seen as a threat by us to whoever escaped at the time, we just assumed someone from that world, with knowledge of other worlds, would be able to help identify our escapee.

"Then Denise chose you, over a million souls being guided to the Void at once, many with more knowledge of either other worlds or combat experience, and yet she's drawn to you. Despite Morta's claim that you were nothing, despite your idiotic heroics, Denise chose you. And you in turn, chose her. At first, I thought you were incompetent, then your reports came in. Not only did you confront the escapee within days of arriving, you managed to survive. And not only that, you managed to adapt fully to Sarah's experiment. I doubt you noticed how quickly you acclimated to your new abilities. I did."

"What do you mean?"

"The others may not have been watching, but I was. As you were following Raye Penber, you may have thought it was the slowest cab in the Metaverse, but it was driving at a normal speed for the area. You were actually keeping pace, while jumping from rooftop to rooftop and adjusting as you went through turns. I've never seen a mortal adapt as quickly as you have, not even Champion Mortals, the Heroes and Villains who can shape their worlds under our guidance and manipulations. Mortals like Bruce Wayne, Son Goku, and Peter Parker, and all of the foes they've faced are considered Champions. You are a unique soul. And, after what I've seen, you may be our only shot at apprehending the escapees and rooting out the traitor."

"So, your behavior earlier was just an act? To make it seem like you didn't want me around."

"Mostly an act. I don't really want you around, mortals are a nuisance, but necessary. I do not like humans especially, but I understand they play a major part in almost every world of this Metaverse. Whether humans exist in other Metaverses is a mystery to me, but I'm sure, what ever the dominate species of a Metaverse is, they're as much of a nuisance as your species."

"Oh, you're a pleasant guy aren't you?"

"My job doesn't allow pleasantries. It's nothing but misery and pain, not just for the mortals but for me as well." He sat down in a chair nearby and placed his head in his hands. "You mortals, you could have all of the intelligence in the world and yet you're still so dumb, so unwise. You follow the words of one who interprets a vision given to him while he was hallucinating, and even then, you find ways to try and circumvent it. The Crusades in any world like your own are the prime example. Killing in the name of God, even when one of God's words is not to kill.

"I hate you mortals because your hypocritical, hateful, sinful, and downright awful as a whole. But, at the same time, I admire you. You are able to choose what path to take in your short lives. And it leads to very interesting events, as I'm sure you know. I will not let some escaped criminal ruin that." He turned to me, a look of determination in his eyes. "So, I'll do whatever I can, suspect whoever I must, and, if need be, die defending your worlds. I was chosen not just to represent life, but to defend it. Something I'll gladly do personal consequences be damned."

"Good speech."

"Thank you."

"As for you helping, don't." I held up my hand when he was about to speak. "Please understand. Given what you've told me, there's another possibility to consider. You've all mentioned there were others before you. Past Council members who used to hold your positions. What happened to them?"

"They were sent back to their lives from before being on the Council, memories erased, and granted powers removed. Why do you ask?"

"What Sarah told me about Soul Magic. That it can prevent mental manipulation. Is it possible that a Council member in the past was immune to the memory erasure? Despite any attempt made?"

"No," he said instantly with no hesitation.

"That was a quick response. Why are you so sure?"

"Because such an event is impossible."

"Are you sure? We're talking a near infinite number of possibilities. Ask Gallio and he can tell you the possibility of such a thing happening. It would be an extremely minuscule chance of it happening, but it's not impossible. Improbable, yes, but not impossible. There's always a possibility of something happening. It's Multiverse Theory. For every choice made and the outcomes that occur from it, the opposite can cause even more possibilities. There are no impossibilities. If, and it's a very big if, someone chosen to become the Manifestation was immune to memory erasure, wanted that power, grew bitter, and decided to try and get it back. You deal with Multiverses for a living, you and the rest of the Council should be able to assume that nothing is impossible.

"Why I'm declining is simple, even with all of the info you've given me, I can't fully trust you. Understand my reasoning, you could be trying to throw me off your scent. And even if you're reliable, and one of the Council isn't they could easily turn things against us. And if it's an outside influence, like my theory suggests, it's better that all attention is on me alone, so we can catch them and send them to the Shadow Vault as well as our escapee." Gareth seemed to give this some thought. He stayed quiet for a few moments before looking at me.

"A rather paranoid way of thinking."

"But practical, you sent me here to catch a criminal, to a world where a megalomaniacal teenager has the power to kill by writing someone's name down in a notebook, a detective who's after said teenager with a very persistent way of pursuing the criminal, both with extremely high intellects and childish behavior. Not to mention, the person I'm after is most likely after a similar if not more powerful notebook and has magic at his disposal and can kill me and reanimate my corpse to do whatever the hell he pleases. I died not too long ago! I'm not dying again! Not this soon! So, forgive me if I'm being a bit too paranoid for your personal tastes!" Again, Gareth was speechless, not like a moment before, it was more akin to when I told the Council to stop teasing Denise and everyone grew quiet. He said nothing, he merely nodded, stood up, made his way to the door and left.

I sat on my bed and sighed. _'Well, time to get started. It's going to be a long week.'_ With my knowledge of the Death Notes workings and Raye Penber's identity, Kiichiro Osoreda died a different way than how Light would have done it. I had him get caught by police and die in a firefight with no casualties on the police' side. I keep track of Raye and Tsukiko, using the Hunter armor, to ensure things followed a predictable pace. I began to time the deaths after certain flights around the world with increasing frequency in each country to draw the attention of most investigators besides the most intelligent and stubborn.

On December 27, the day Raye Penber was supposed to die because of Light Yagami, his life was saved. I had kept the deaths mostly focused in the States. While keeping the deaths in other countries at a less but constant state. America and Japan were the only countries with substantial death rates. As I was following Raye, he received a call. I channeled magic to my ears to listen in. I wasn't very adept at it at the time, but I did manage to hear certain things. Raye, and the other agents, had been recalled back to the states to investigate the growing Kira murders in New York. I made it back to the hotel, thankful that Sarah strong-armed me into practicing my soul magic channeling, and the Hunter armors Stealth Field. I made it back to my room, unequipped the armor, and made my way to the bar.

It wasn't long after that Raye turned up and sat besides me at the bar. "Hey, Raye. How's the hunt going?"

"I'm getting called back to the States."

"I thought L believed Kira was here in Japan."

"He still does, but my superiors disagree, said there's reason to believe Kira is in New York. Personally, I agree with L. But orders are orders. I have to keep following orders and trying to catch Kira."

"If only there was a way to keep an investigation going here in Japan."

"Well… not officially. Phoenix, I want you to stay here and find out anything you can about Kira. I'll give you my contact information, so you can keep me updated. I have no doubt L will come here personally. My fiancé has worked with him before and has told me he has a stubborn streak. He most likely will contact her to help him in any capacity she can. When he does, I'll tell her to ask you for help."

"Raye, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not qualified. I'm not an investigator."

"No, but you know how to read people. You're an insightful person and someone L may find invaluable."

"Raye, your asking a lot from me here."

"He can pay you and make it your official job." I paused for a second. _'Never expected him to send me to L. Even though I doubt he'll take me on at all. It gets me close to him, so I can keep tabs on him and ask for his help if things against the mage start getting more pressing with more and more complications.'_

"Dammit Penber, we only met a couple weeks ago and somehow you can twist my arms like an old friend. What did you use a similar method to get your fiancé to marry you?" He just laughed as I ordered him a soda rather than a beer.

"Yeah, just don't tell her that if you ever meet. She'll rip me a new one. So, you'll do it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sign me up. But I can't send info to you. If Kira catches on to either investigation personally, both investigations will be in jeopardy. I'll keep in touch when I can, just invite me to the wedding, and if you have kids, name them after me."

"I can't promise either of those. Well, maybe the first one. But the second, that's gonna be a hard pass."

"Ah, come on! Phoenix or Mason Penber sounds cool!"

"You're biased! Of course, I am! My name sounds cool!"

"We're not naming our kids after you!" We laughed at our faux argument. We had one drink to see him off and I went to my room as he was leaving. I checked the PIP boy and tracked his marker as it made its way to Narita. I then pulled out the sheets from the Death Note and wrote a name down that would catch the attention L and L alone. When I was done writing I put the pages away and changed to the internet connection holo-screen before locating Tsukiko's email address and letting her know her shadow is dealt with and her identity is safe from the FBI but may still be found out by L. I also tell her to meet me at the Hachiko statue the following day. I decided to read the grimoire to pass the time before we needed to meet up.

* * *

 **L's P.O.V.**

On December 29th, I was about to make a call to the FBI director about his idiotic decision to recall the agents he sent over to Japan when Watari made his way to me. "Is something wrong Watari?"

"I think so. Rue Ryuzaki has just committed suicide. He left behind a peculiar note, one I believe you must read."

"It can wait Watari. I need to try and convince the FBI to send back their agents as soon as possible. Kira is here in Japan, not in the States."

"I believe the note is related to Kira." I turned to my oldest companion, curious and held out my hand for the copy of the note he made. What I read had me worried and determined all at once.

* * *

 _Hello, L. I hope this message gets to you, as the next thing I have to say is important to you, and you alone. Kira will win. The God of Death has greeted me. Given me clarity. I misused the Eyes of Death and my sins have marked me. If you go after Kira alone, you will fail. I don't want you to die, not yet. You will need help. Might I suggest young Nate River, Mihael Keehl, and the bitch who caught me, Naomi Misora. It won't be much, but it may make you last a bit longer. Kira knows us all. He knows our sins! His will is absolute! Try and stop him, and you will die! I will laugh in hell when you do, Lawliet!_

* * *

When I finished reading the note I turned to Watari. "This doesn't seem like Rue Ryuzaki at all. It isn't something he'd normally say or do. He claims Kira is the reason he is dead. If that's true, then Kira somehow knew who he was and what his real name is. This could also mean that Kira can control the actions of those who he kills."

"Do you think he is a member of Wammy's House?"

"No, if he was we'd have a suspect. So far none of Kira's behavior matches the psych profile of anyone in or from Wammy's House. And their aliases weren't used. Ryuzaki used their real names. Something not even people familiar with Wammy's House are normally aware of. And unless you've been somehow moonlighting as a serial killer, or my lack of sleep has led to me developing a separate personality, we have no suspects related to Wammy's House. No, this is something else."

"Should we contact Wammy's House and recruit Near and Mello for this?"

"No. We have to suspect Kira only knows their names, and not their faces. Naomi Misora on the other hand… she helped capture Ryuzaki in the first place. She is exceptionally smart and intuitive, if it weren't for her, Ryuzaki may have gotten away or managed to kill himself in his attempt to trick me into thinking Beyond Birthday had successfully killed a fourth victim. She may be able to help us catch Kira. Watari, do we still have Naomi Misora's contact information?"

"Of course. Shall we contact her the usual way?"

"No, I don't think so. A simple phone call should suffice." Once Watari handed me the phone I called Naomi Misora. After a few seconds there was a response.

"Hello?"

"Naomi Misora? It's L."

"Oh. Hello L. Why are you calling?"

"I'm calling to request your help. I'm trying to apprehend Kira and would like your assistance."

"I'm sorry L, but I can't. I'm no longer FBI. On top of that, I'm planning a wedding. As much as I want to help you stop Kira, I can't put my life on hold and potentially put in danger by helping you, especially not now. I just got some exciting news. Oh, hold on." Distantly I could hear her talking with someone, my initial guess was her fiancé. I could barely make out the conversation, but I briefly heard mention of my name. A second later she turned her attention back to the phone. "Uh… L? My fiancé would like to speak with you."

"I'm not one for social calls Ms. Misora."

"He says it's about the Kira investigation." I paused briefly as I considered her words. While Naomi wouldn't be able to help for her own personal reasons, I needed as much assistance as I could get. If he was as intelligent as she herself was, perhaps he could help me.

"Very well, put him on." I waited a few seconds before he answered the phone.

"L? My name is Raye Penber. I was one of the agents sent to Japan." _'One of the twelve agents? Did he find out anything from the people he was shadowing?'_ "My own part in the investigation didn't turn up anything substantial, but I'll admit I'm nowhere near as good an investigator as Naomi. But I think I know someone who can help you in some way. His name is Phoenix Mason. He's a former security guard from a Vegas casino. His boss was a former police officer who drilled into his head how to read people. He managed to spot that I was in some form of law enforcement from just having a small conversation with me. He's highly intelligent and is looking for work in Tokyo. I know he's not exactly what you may be working for in help, but he's the best I can offer."

"You said his name is Phoenix Mason?"

"That's right."

"Did you do a background check on him? See if what he was telling you is true?"

"I did. Even spoke with his former boss as soon as I got to the States using the number Phoenix gave me. You can check yourself if my word isn't enough to convince you."

"How sure are you that he'd be able to help in the investigation?"

"I'd stake my reputation on it. Hell, I'd stake my life on it. You can trust him."

"Mr. Penber, please put Ms. Misora back on the line." I waited as the phone was handed back to her. "Ms. Misora, how well can you vouch for Mr. Penber's judge in character?"

"Well, he chose to marry me." After laughing at her joke, she turned serious. "Raye's always been a good judge of character. It's why I fell in love with him. If he says you can trust this Phoenix person, then you can trust him. Though I know you will do a background check just to be safe, am I wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right. I can't go by someone's word alone. Can Mr. Penber tell me where I can find this Phoenix Mason?" After writing down the address of the hotel where Mr. Penber told me I could find Phoenix Mason, I addressed Naomi Misora. "I'm sad you cannot help me this time. With your help, we could catch Kira exceptionally fast. I wish you well. Oh, and Ms. Misora."

"Yes?"

"Congratulation. I'm sure you'll be an excellent wife and mother."

"Thank you, L. Oh, before I forget, did you take my advice?"

"I did. Being able to properly defend myself against an assailant in this line of work is essential, after thinking over your suggestion, I started learning capoeira. It's beneficial given my normal posture."

"Good. Why is your posture like that anyways?"

"It helps me concentrate."

"That can't be good for your body."

"No, but it's good for my mind."

"Take care, L. And be careful. You're the only one who could potentially catch Kira."

"Thank you, Naomi Misora. Goodbye." I hung up and turned to Watari. "Do a background check and find all you can on a Phoenix Mason, Watari. I want to find out all I can. Once we do, I'd like to see what this Phoenix Mason can do."

* * *

 **Phoenix's P.O.V.:**

I met with Tsukiko a day after Raye left. As she was coming towards me, I placed an apple out of sight of the public for Ryuk to eat. She sat beside me on a bench behind the statue as I was reading a book I had purchased.

"Hello, Miss Moon." I smirked as she quirked an eyebrow at my nickname. "Found it fitting as your name uses the kanji for 'moon'."

"So, you like to think you're clever. I can already tell you will be infuriating to work with."

"You would be right. And if you ever meet one of my bosses, he'd agree with you."

"You work for someone?"

"Yep, though I'll hold off on telling you more until we're in a more private setting. For now, all you need to know is the attention of your shadow is now focused on an investigation in the United States. Took almost all of the pages you gave me to get what I wanted done."

"It would've been easier if you had just let me do it my way."

"And instead of just the twelve investigators winding up dead for going against Kira, L would be another step closer to figuring out who you were and stopping you. Consider the method you were going to use. Tricking your shadow into exposing who he was using a criminal and the controlling power of the Death Note. You'd then trick him into writing down the names of his fellow agents here in Japan. This would lead L to believe that the initial hunch that Kira is here in Japan is confirmed, not only that, but now he has suspects. The people being followed, particularly the young woman who would've been the most likely candidate to be Kira given her intellect and closeness to the police. What would follow is a game of cat and mouse as L would reveal himself to you and trap you into not being able to kill him giving an alias and not his real name.

"You may be able to beat him, given the right circumstances, but after that major victory would come your downfall. With no opposition you would get arrogant, and cocky. When someone steps up to replace L at the head of the investigation, you will lose. This would be due to your own arrogance, unpredictable situations, and the persistence of your investigators. Along the way, you'd get sloppy. This is based on your overall personality."

"You seem to have a very low opinion of me."

"Just stating facts." I stood up and started walking away. "Follow me. We have much to discuss. A discussion we cannot have out in the open." I said nothing as she asked me what we needed to talk about and kept walking. I heard her grunt in frustration and felt her start following me, Ryuk close behind finishing off the apple. I tilted a hat I bought the other day to block the field of view of all of the nearby cameras I scoped out several times since I arrived and led her to a different hotel than where I was staying. I sensed her reluctance and smirked. "Relax. I simply need a place that we can talk in private. A hotel room is as private as anything. Besides, this discussion needs to include Ryuk as well."

I purchased a room and the three of us went inside. I sat in a chair, she sat on the bed away from me and Ryuk hovered nearby. Then she noticed my eyes and stared. "Please stop. It's very uncomfortable being stared at like that."

"Sorry. I've never seen eyes like yours before."

"They're two of a kind. Now! On to business!" I stood up and smiled. "Tsukiko Yagami, I need your help. I've been tasked with tracking down and recapturing an escaped criminal. I cannot do this alone. My bosses sent me with no plan. And it is crucial that I get as much help as I can."

"If you're just catching a criminal, why do you need my help?"

"Because this criminal isn't just any criminal. He's from another world." Ryuk, who had been eating an apple, started choking after hearing that."

"Another world?! Wait does that mean your bosses are…" in response I pressed a button on the PIP boy and activated the holo-screen on the communicator. On the holo-screen was the Deific Council, with Denise leaning in closer to the console they were in front of. I had to hide a blush as I noticed Denise was showing some cleavage without noticing. If Tsukiko noticed anything about me, she didn't show. She was intently focused on the holo-technology. I saw Denise's face darken, her eyes turn red, and her teeth sharpen when she chose to address Ryuk.

"Hello, Ryuk." I noticed her voice was slightly deeper, and more seductive. Everything about her screamed danger and I found myself blushing harder at this. "Have you been up to trouble recently?"

"L-L-L-Lady Denise!" He bowed low to the ground. "O-of course not! W-why would you ask such a thing?!"

"Ryuk?" asked Tsukiko, obviously confused and slightly afraid. "Why are you acting this way?"

"T-this is Lady Denise Revenant. She is the only being in existence with higher authority than the Shinigami King. She is more powerful than any god. She is not just a deity. She is…"

"The closest thing you can equate each of them to is the Gods of Gods," I interrupted the cowering Shinigami with a smile. "The beings on the screen in front of you are the Deific Council. They all are manifestations of core concepts of all of existence. Life, Death, Luck, Fate, Magic, Progress, Time, and Space. They are to gods what gods are to us, if Ryuk's reaction was anything to go by." Tsukiko must've shut down from that, as she just stared at the screen.

"Wait," she said after a few seconds. "You said this person your after is from another world. What did you mean?"

"Multiverse Theory. I'll leave it at that."

"So, there's multiple timelines."

"And multiple worlds. And their job is to govern all of them. If you have the feeling to bow like Ryuk, go ahead. The only person who lets it go to their head is Gareth anyways." I smirked as a vein popped in his head.

"I will smite you, peon!"

"Go ahead and try it you self-serving bastard! We both know your interactions with Variant Worlds is limited!"

"This is going to go on for ever if they go at it. Denise, can you slap both of them out of their damn argument, so we can get down to business?" Denise sighed, rolled her eyes, and waved her hand. A shadow slapped Gareth hard enough to leave an imprint while another just gently caressed my cheek before receding back through the screen. Denise merely winked at me as I blushed. _'Wow.'_ I thought. _'She has more confidence like this. What happened?'_ "Not exactly what I asked but fine."

"Down to business then." I turned to Ryuk. "Do you know what the Shadow Vault is Ryuk?"

"The Shadow Vault? I know of it. It's a prison, right?"

"Yeah. To bring Tsukiko up to speed, it's an inter-dimensional prison housing threats to the Metaverse, which is, in layman's terms, is basically a collection of Multiverses. It was supposed to be inescapable. Until a few days ago. Someone broke out of it after somehow destroying one of it's walls. They are currently here in your world. I have confronted them already but was…"

"He was thrown around like a rag-doll and left for dead by the man. I took his memories of the moment. It was hilarious," said Sarah.

"I WAS NOT THROWN AROUND LIKE A RAG-DOLL!"

"Whatever you say…" she smirked, looking very smug.

"The Gareth-damned mage just… Did I just say Gareth-damned?" Now Gareth looked smug and I groaned, feeling a migraine coming on. I pulled out the Pacification Field and turned it on. "The 'god damned' mage used a telekinesis spell and threw me into a group of trash cans."

"After he threw you into a wall," said Tyra. "Twice. I have to agree with Sarah, it was funny."

"It was only once! Shut up!"

"Phoenix," said Gallio. "How often have you used the Pacification Field?"

"Not often, I've only used it maybe… 4 times? And they were spaced out over days. Why?"

"You were shouting just now. You seemed very agitated just now." He turned to Tsukiko and did a double take. "Phoenix, is the Pacification Field even on?" I looked at the device in my hand, the indicator that the Field was active was glowing green.

"Yeah, it's on. Why?"

"What's the distance on it set to?" I looked at the device again.

"Radius of 10 feet. Why?"

"So then, why aren't either of you being affected by it?" I turned to Tsukiko and noticed she was trembling as her mind started processing everything that was being thrown at her at once. She was pale, and her nose started bleeding.

"Shit!" exclaimed Tyra. "Phoenix! Knock her out! Do it quickly!"

"How?! I don't…"

"The Pacification Field," said Gallio. "Set it to personal and up the power to 10 then place it on her chest." I did as I was told, and she fell asleep. I caught her as her body collapsed and placed her on the bed.

"Tyra, what happened?"

"Alternate Awareness. It happens to those who become aware of other worlds without proper preparation. Normally it doesn't affect someone as severely as this. I don't have an explanation as to what…" as she trailed off I spoke up.

"Does remembering dying do this?"

"Not this severely. It would take something extremely traumatizing to do this."

"Like being erased from existence?"

"Are you suggesting one of the undone worlds was a Death Note Variant, one very similar to her own?"

"It would make sense. The memories could leak in. All that fear, all that anger at the situation. It would be very traumatizing. It could have echoes that could affect her like this." I watched as her body started flickering. "Is there anyway we can stop this?"

"I'll whip something up. But you two will need to come to the lab so I can temporarily stabilize her."

"I can't go. I have to stay here. I have to track down the mage. With Tsukiko out of commission I need to keep up the Kira killings. I also need to contact L. Since Tsukiko can't help me until she's better, L is my only avenue towards catching the mage."

"As much as I hate to say it," said Gareth. "The boy's right. We cannot diverge from the mission otherwise Ms. Yagami might not have any home to return to. Phoenix, I suggest you contact her parents and come up with a reason why she won't be home for a few days. Meet up with L, and carefully let him know of the situation regarding the mage. Though given Ms. Yagami's reaction, limit the true extent of the situation as much as you can. Mr. Lawliet is our last shot at catching the mage."

"I know. I just wish we knew how he was going to go about completing his objective."

"W-what about Misa Amane?" suggested Kira. "He went after a woman earlier right? It seemed like he wanted something from her. Do you think it was a Death Note, and he believed she was Misa Amane?"

"If that's the case, we need to find that woman again, fast. Gallio, I'm gonna need a new holo-device. A detachable projector, one I can use to trick people while I'm out in public. I have a plan that may get the mage out into the open. But it requires me to be in two places at once. If I start working with L, I'm gonna need it. I have to make sure everything goes our way. I'll carry Tsukiko into the lab. Tyra, please open a portal. Ryuk, can you please get the Death Note from the false bottom in Tsukiko's desk?"

"I'll get it. I'm assuming catching the mage is about saving this world?"

"Yep. We don't stop him, we risk this world becoming undone. Exciting isn't it?"

"Heheheheheh. Very exciting. Why couldn't you have been the one to be born here and find my Death Note?"

"Unh, unh, uh, Ryuk," said Denise, back to her sweet persona, but still maintaining a dark aura. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling sweetly towards Ryuk. "He's not yours."

"Y-yes ma'am." I could see a sweat drop form on his head before he left.

"Damn, Denise." She simply giggled. As Tyra opened a portal I picked up Tsukiko and carried her through. "Where do I put her Gallio?"

"There's a stasis pod in front of the console. Put her there." He pressed a button and the pod rose from the ground. I placed her inside and watched as it closed around her. "There. She's stable for now. I'll work on getting her fully fixed. For now, she needs to stay here and rest. Also, I already have a holo-projector on hand. I programmed them into your new drones. I managed to make some a few days ago. They are compatible with your Hunter armor and have a built in Stealth Field as well. That way your holograms aren't stationary and liable to get you caught. They even have a solid projection like the holo-screen for the PIP boy. One thing I couldn't program into them was compatible weaponry. Nonlethal or otherwise. You'll have to make do with what you have for now."

"Have you been studying the grimoire." Asked Sarah.

"Already finished it. I pulled it from my inventory and handed it to her.

"WHAT?! HOW?! That shouldn't be possible. That book had to be at least a thousand pages!"

"More like 3,022. The first third talked about focusing the magic throughout my body, this would act to better my control and also serves as a means to strengthen my own body and mind as well. I sent magic into my mind to strengthen my already heightened memory, thanks for that Gallio, by the way, to further my memory and understanding of what I was reading. This I did in one day. I finished off the grimoire last night and read the last two thirds, which consist of first drawing out my magic into magical constructs, starting with a basic bolt." I fired a bolt of magic into the hall. We could hear it ricochet until something glass shattered. "Hope that wasn't important. Next it focuses on more advanced constructs, the elements." I held out my hand and a sphere of black flames rose from it. Sarah watched the sphere with equal amounts of fascination, joy, and envy.

"Black flames… how…?"

"That's not all." I raised the sphere above my head and spheres of the other basic elements joined it. "I also figured out the more advanced constructs as well." I didn't notice it, but my eyes started glowing as I furthered my magical manipulations. I made an orb of light appear, it was nearly blinding. I moved it to the side and conjured a sphere of silver lightning. Denise's shriek of surprise drew the attention of the rest of the council. Her look of embarrassment drew the curiosity of Lucy and Sarah as they drew closer to her. That's when they noticed a second shadow fly from next to her own shadow. Denise placed a hand to her lips as she blushed darkly.

"I learned that one this morning. Had a mind of its own at first. Then I sent a surge of magic through it and it's less mischievous now."

"What did you have it do?" asked Lucy.

"I told it to kiss Denise's shadow. Wanted to see what would happen." I smiled as Denise covered her face.

"This should not be possible," said Denise. "It took me months before I could conjure even a basic bolt."

"Well there's a difference between my training and your own. You were learning when you were younger and a mortal, when your connection with magic was still growing, still strengthening. As for myself, you gave me soul magic. Using my soul to power magic. I found a better way. Instead of merely using my soul as a power source, I tried using the techniques from the first third of the book, only instead of sending the power of my soul inward, using whatever magic I can connect to, I sent it outward, finding a strong connection in nature."

"You're drawing power from natural magic?"

"From the soul of the Earth itself. It strengthens me."

"You're not supposed to be able to do that."

"Soul magic shouldn't be able to connect my soul to other things?"

"No. I can't even begin to understand how you're doing this. No one, even using magical enhancements, should be advancing this fast."

"That being said," interrupted Gallio. "Phoenix isn't like anyone else. He was a soul who was freed from his original body upon its death and placed in a body of my own design. One with increased abilities. One of which allows him to adapt quickly. When you activated his magic using soul magic and that wand of yours, his soul immediately bonded with the body. More than likely, his soul adopted the adaptation enhancement of the body."

"Huh. An adaptive soul. Well, it would make sense. There's never been a case like me. A soul chosen out of necessity and granted abilities it shouldn't have. Using untested methods and against an enemy of unknown strength."

"It also helps that your soul was already powerful," said Denise. "That's part of why I chose you."

"And the other part?"

"Well…"

"Hold on," said Sarah. "That still doesn't explain it. You're still a novice. You should be feeling drained! Why isn't that happening?!"

"I don't know. You're the expert here. You all should know more than I do."

"This is unexplored territory," said Gallio. "We've never seen anything like this happen before. We need to take things with a grain of salt. We have no idea what the drawbacks of this are yet. Phoenix, I suggest you go slow. I know we need to get the escapee, but if you put yourself in a situation where your abilities become too taxing, and we have no idea how to fix it, then we're all S.O.L." I sighed and scratched the back of my head.

"I hear ya. I'll take it slow. Oh, I need a mask."

"A mask?"

"Yeah, one with a H.U.D. that can sync with the PIP boy and Hunter armor and hides my face completely."

"Hm… I think I have something. Hold on." He went over to a cabinet and opened it. A bunch of objects fell to the ground around his feet and he reached in, trying to find something. I ducked as he threw several things behind him. I reached up and caught something that he threw behind him as it flew above my head. I examined it and saw it was a metal cylinder colored silver and black. Sarah saw it in my hand and glared at Gallio before smiling smugly. She reached for the PIP boy, hit a button, and sent it into my inventory. She held a finger to her lips, winking and smiling before Gallio turned back. "Found one. Catch!" I held my hand out to my right and caught it.

"You need to work on your aim."

"Shut up and put it on, smart-ass." I looked at the mask and saw it was similar to the mask worn by Sub-Zero. "Just put it on, a visor shoots up around your eyes and is capable of blocking people from seeing your eyes. Though the shine might go through. You'll just need a hood."

"How do I sync it to the other gear?"

"Just use the same method as the armor. The Power Modulator in the PIP boy shouldn't be too overtaxed."

"I need an A.I. to make sure everything works well."

"You're not getting one. I don't have anyone to base it off of."

"What about Ms. Yagami?" asked Gareth.

"Out of the question," said both of us.

"Her mind may be intelligent, but she's too murderous to work the equipment."

"Plus," I continued for him. "She can't be trusted. As an actual person or as an A.I."

"Especially as an A.I."

"Too unpredictable. Capable of coming unhinged. And extremely intelligent."

"Not to mention her childish behavior."

"All in all,…"

"Bad idea." We both said.

"Alright, I get it."

"Phoenix," said Tyra. "How do you know so much about A.I.?"

"It's more common sense than anything. I don't know how to program one, just how to pick someone to model it after."

"If you find a perfect model, bring them to me."

"Yeah, yeah." I look at the mask. "Gonna need to work on the paint job on this thing."

"Do whatever you want. Just don't break it. It's still my equipment after all."

"Oh, like you can't make another one."

"That's not the point. It's the principal of the thing." I put the mask in my inventory and notice what the cylinder was that Sarah put into the PIP boy. I keep my features calm as I close the inventory screen. When Gallio turns away, I look at Sarah, grinning like crazy. She puts a finger to her lips again, grinning just as much.

I mouth 'thank you' to her in appreciation. She merely curtsies and nods. Lucy walks up to me. "What is it Lucy?"

"Hold still."

"Ok. Why do I need to..?"

"Just do as I say."

"Alright, alright." I watched as she leaned in close. "Personal space please."

"Shut up. Close your eyes."

"Why do I need to..?"

"Phoenix," she said in a tone that meant 'do as your told'.

"Fine." I closed my eyes and waited. I soon felt a warm sensation on my forehead. I resisted the urge to open my eyes.

"Ok. Now open them." I did and saw her smiling. "There. Now you have my blessing. Things will go in your favor for as long as the blessing exists."

"And how long does it last?"

"As long as I want. So, for now, indefinitely."

"Thanks Lucy. You know, for a second there, I thought you were gonna…" and she proceeded to kiss me as I spoke. I vaguely remember Denise screaming in protest and the click of a camera. She pulled away and I was left dumbstruck. "…kiss me…" I couldn't think from that my mind had shut down.

"Bye, Phoenix. We'll take care of Tsukiko while she's resting" She then pushed me through the portal, making me stumble onto my bed as Ryuk came back into the room.

"Here's the Death Note," he said. "What did I miss?" I shook my head to clear my thoughts and sort my memories.

"Nothing." I grab the Death Note and look at him. "First order of business. Eyes. Give them. Now. No halving my lifeline."

"I can't do that. It's a violation of the r-"

"I guess I'll just call up Denise then."

"Shinigami eyes, no halved life. On it" I smiled as I felt it activate.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun."

"I'm going to hate you aren't I?"

"That remains to be seen. Though, if we're going off of initial meetings, then yes you are."

"I wanted more excitement in my life. Not something like this."

"The start of an amazing friendship?"

"More like forced servitude. You're lording Lady Denise over my head as a threat."

"Not as a threat, more like a warning of things to come if you try to kill or betray me."

"That's a threat!"

"Eh, semantics." I opened the Death Note and remembered something not many people realize. I held out my hand to him.

"What?"

"Eraser."

"What?"

"Death Eraser. Now."

"How do you even… Fine." He reached into his, (Robes? Body?) and pulled out a small block of white rubber. I grab it and toss a bunch of apples I kept in the PIP boy. "How do you even do that?"

"The PIP boy digitizes anything I need to store within it. It's limited only by how big something is, and inorganic objects. Anything alive, or used to be alive, I can store it. Can't store anything bigger than myself. Other than that, no limits." I pull out the mask and turn it over in my hands.

"A mask?"

"Yeah. Hides my identity. Necessary for my plans. It'll also help me keep track of people within my line of sight and within my immediate area."

"Are you planning on going out as Kira?"

"Only when deemed necessary. This is to draw out the mage. If he sees that 'Kira' can be immediately found, he'll go after 'him'. Better me, then Tsukiko. In order for me to find the mage, I need to think of ways to coax, and trick him out. Whoops, tautology."

"Say what now?"

"Saying the same thing twice just using different words. Like calling someone a Catholic sociopath."

"You think you're funny don't you."

"I think Team Four Star is funny. Me, not so much. I just have a knack for pissing people off. Some people may find it funny, but it's just me acting normally." I pulled out Tsukiko's cell phone and messaged her parents about her staying at a friend's.

"Team what?"

"It's not important right now. What is, is finding the mage. If I had only seen his face. Then I'd only need a name to kill him."

"I don't think that would work."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if he's from another world, like you, Then I can't see his name. Which means, he's not bound to the rules set out by the Shinigami King in this universe regarding how a Death Note can kill."

"Wait, you can't see me name?"

"Not so much can't see it as I can't register it even exists. I can see the name, I know the letters are there, but when I try to think of the letters put together, it's like my memory of the name vanishes as soon as I see it, I can see it, but I can't place it as your name."

"Would the mage's name be the same way?"

"I would assume so."

"Then I can identify him as well. That's good. The Shinigami eye thing would be pointless otherwise."

"Nice to see the thing I was created with is seen as useless."

"Correction, it's useless to me. You need it to kill mortals in order to add their years to your own in order to survive. I don't benefit from that. The best I could hope for is if a Shinigami used the Death Note to save my life." I speed write names in the Death Note that My PIP boy picked up from criminal databases since I arrived here. "So, you know about Denise and the Council, what else do you know, Ryuk?"

"Nothing. I only heard about the Council one day while trying to find something to do. That's when I met Lady Denise and learned never to mess with her."

"What did she do?"

"She didn't like being spied on, her behavior turned to what you saw earlier, and she chopped me to bits! I didn't turn to dust or disappear, she wouldn't let me. I was stuck as a disembodied head and shoved in her closet for a millennium! During which she tortured me in ways no one should ever experience!"

"I think you might be exaggerating just a bit."

"If only I was…" I shrugged and went back to work as he started muttering something to himself. I left him like that for a few minutes as I wrote and thought out my next plan. Then I remembered something about the man I had killed earlier to attract L's attention.

"Hey, Ryuk."

"What is it?" he asked, his voice just slightly quivering as he remembered his torture under Denise.

"Have you ever heard of a human being born with Shinigami Eyes?"

"That's interesting. No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"A man I killed earlier, Rue Ryuzaki, was born with them. Became obsessed with the days one would die and turned to killing people as their time was up. He started calling himself, Beyond Birthday." I turned to the apple-crazed Shinigami. "I wanted to know, how."

"I honestly don't know. I've never seen or heard of such a thing happening while in the Shinigami realm."

"Hmm. A mystery for another day then." I swiped one of Ryuk's uneaten apples and sat on my bed. "Ryuk, can you do me a favor? Can you fly around the city and search for someone whose name shows up like my own?"

"Ah. Using my ability to fly to cut the time relatively in half."

"That's the idea, yes."

"You realize that this mage is most likely smart enough to not be in plain sight."

"Can't you phase through stuff?"

"That's not the point. It would take too long, I'd have to look building by building, street by street, room by room. One city block alone would take a few hours." I sighed and bit into my apple.

"It's better than nothing. I wish we had more Shinigami to help but considering what the mage can do… it may end up hurting us rather than help us."

"What do you mean? The mage has a staff that was made for Necromancy. We can only assume they are a Necromancer as well."

"How would that hurt us?"

"Necromancy isn't just about communicating and raising the dead. They can be controlled as well. I know you are gods, but you're gods of Death. I don't know the full extant of their power. I don't know if they're powerful enough to enthrall any of you."

"So, we're playing this cautiously then."

"Of course. We need to assume that the reason this person was locked in the Shadow Vault is because they were powerful enough to be a major threat to the Metaverse. There's no telling what they could do. 'Caution is preferable to rash bravery,' after all."

"Who said that?"

"Falstaff in King Henry the Fourth. A Shakespeare play."

"Never was one for Shakespeare. Too dramatic."

"Some people find drama fun."

"I'm some people."

"Duly noted."

* * *

We spent the next two weeks preparing for L's inevitable appearance. I'd managed to cover most bases regarding where to look for the mage while simultaneously killing criminals at a steady pace all around the world. Ryuk had made no headway finding the mage as I had asked him to. Five days in, I told him to stop. Mindlessly searching was going nowhere. I check Tsukiko's phone as she got a message from her parents, clearly worried. She hadn't been seen in a week and had not personally answered her phone, they had every right to be. I periodically kept the phone in the PIP boy, so it couldn't be tracked. I decided it was a good time to contact Gallio when there was a knock at the door. _'That must be L. Dammit. Wonder if he showed in person, or if he sent Watari.'_ I answered the door and was met by an old man. _'Watari it is then.'_ "Yes sir? Can I help you?" I asked. Watari merely looked me up and down as if judging me. I grew irritated when his eyes lingered on my eyes but kept a calm demeanor.

"Are you Phoenix Mason?"

"Yes, I am, who's asking?"

"Forgive the intrusion. I am L." _'So, that's the game we're playing, and I'm called immature?'_ I shake his extended hand.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you, L. Please come in, won't you?" As he walks past me, I catch a glimpse of a mirror across the hall as a guest leaves the room. Through the mirror, I spot the real L waiting around a corner. _'Well, Lucy's blessing is working. Let's put it to the test, shall we?'_ I pull a paperclip out of my pocket that I picked up earlier and flick it into the hall when Watari isn't looking. It ricochets off a wall and around the corner. I hear a soft grunt as I close the door and inwardly smirk. "So, L. I take it Raye Penber contacted you?"

"Indeed, he did. Both he, and your boss, had nothing but resounding things to say about you."

"Such as?"

"Your knack for observation, persistence, and general reliance in hostile situations. I believe your boss also mentioned you were able to adapt quickly when needed and you have a rather keen intellect and inventive mind." _'Gallio just had to sneak in his adaptation accomplishment, didn't he?'_ "According to Raye, you were able to pick him out immediately as you met him. This tells me you're perceptive. This is a good quality for working with me. Can you give me an example of how perceptive you are? Give an observation about me."

"Well for one, you're not L." He started, and I looked at him sternly. "I was in Shibuya when the broadcast was played. I remember how L speaks. You're trying to copy his vocal pattern, but it's off. Not quite the same. The real L is out in the hall, I'm assuming?" When he stayed quiet I stood up and walked over to the door. I opened it and saw L standing on the other side, rubbing his eye and looking at me expectantly.

"So, how did you know?" I responded by pointing to the door I saw through.

"Door opened as your friend stepped through my doorway, spotted you in the mirror. I put 2 and 2 together. Now, I believe I extended my invitation to enter towards 'L'. Won't you come inside?"

If L was annoyed by me, he didn't show it. He stepped in and sat next to Watari. I stood by the door and leaned against the wall. "So, is that proof of my observational skill?"

"How did you guess I was the real L?"

"Me and Raye had a couple of drinks. He let slip how his fiancé mentioned you were rather unusual. Bad posture, shadows under the eyes, spiky black hair and dark brown eyes. Saw you and decided to play your game. A bit childish isn't it?"

"Childish, yes, but necessary. Most tend to disregard the most obvious answers. It's one of humanity's greatest flaws."

"I agree with you. But, what can you do? Most people don't want to bother with details that don't matter to them. If it doesn't immediately affect them, it's not worth dealing with. Ignorance is bliss. Worst motto in the world if you ask me." Before we could get back on track, L's phone rang.

"Yes?" Using my increased hearing I could hear someone telling him to turn a tv to a news channel. _'Right on time. Thank you hypnosis spell.'_ He grabbed the remote and turned on a tv flipping to a certain channel.

* * *

" _Here it is again for those who missed it the first time. Kira has addressed the public and his statement is clear, he seeks to bring criminals and the guilty to Justice." The screen turns from the news caster to the figure of a man with a black and silver mask covering his face from the nose to the chin and a black visor covering his eyes, a light grey hood over his head and a black armor with silver lines around the edges of the plates._

" _Hello," said the figure, his voice clearly modified. "By now, you should know who I am. If you don't, then listen closely. I am Kira. I am your new god. A just god. A dutiful god. My work is slow, but it will be effective. You have turned away from a just life, a good life. The truly guilty will be punished. For those who doubt my power, I believe a demonstration is in order." He snapped and behind him three lights came on, each showed a man on his knees, hooked up to an EKG. They were all clearly afraid and seemed to be unable to move. "These three men are all guilty of atrocious acts. The first man is a serial killer. He has killed a total of 13 people in the United States and 4 in Japan. The man next to him is a member of the Yakuza. Guilty of murder, arson, thievery, and human trafficking. The last man is a serial rapist. He has never been convicted. Recently he has abducted a young woman by the name of Tsukiko Yagami."_

* * *

Out of the corner of my eye I saw L tense at the mention of that name. _'Might not completely turn him away from his suspicions, but it will do for now.'_ I watched as the figure gestured towards the camera.

* * *

" _To the parents of Ms. Yagami, rest assured, I am searching for her. She is an innocent after all." He gestured to the men. "Their confessions have been sent to law enforcement agencies regarding their crimes. The truly guilty will be punished. This is my power." He snapped, and the three men convulsed. The EKG showed the men's hearts were failing. Soon all three slumped forward suffering from heart attacks at the same time. "If you still doubt my power…" he waved his hand over the Yakuza, and the man instantly returned to life, the EKG showing his heart beating again, rapidly in fear. "I control life and death. Only the truly guilty shall fall to my power. Those who wish to stop me, I know you see me as only a serial killer but see things from the eyes of the people. These men are nothing short of monsters. You can argue mental instability, illness, or uncontrollable circumstances. I will only agree if things were truly different. By their own admission, these men have enjoyed what they do. They hold no remorse for their actions." He snapped again, and the Yakuza died once more, the rapist being resurrected this time. "I'm not done with you. You will tell me what I want to know." The rapist merely spat at Kira's feet. "Defiance will result in only more painful deaths." With a snap from the other hand the lights turn off and Kira addresses the camera. "Try your best to stop me. You are merely acting in your own form of justice. If you do manage to stop me, then the Fates favor you. If you cannot, then I have been acknowledged as the god of a new world, a just world. A world without sin. And L…"_

* * *

We watched as Kira turned to where L was sitting in the room. Me and Watari turned to see a wide-eyed L staring back at the screen.

* * *

" _I wish you luck. May the smartest man be victorious. And when we meet face to face, bring apples." His mask flashed silver slightly where his eyes would be, and he waved his hand in front of the screen and the image cut out._

* * *

I turned to L. "What the hell was that?"

"That, I believe was Kira. As for how he kills… I don't have an explanation." He turned to me and finally seemed to notice my eyes.

"What's up? What's with the look?"

"Your eyes. Their silver. Yeah, why?"

"The picture I saw on the resume your boss sent me showed brown eyes."

"Oh, that." I went into the hotel bathroom and came back out with a pair of colored contacts. "Most of the time I either go out wearing these, or sunglasses. The photo I took for my ID at work shows me wearing them."

"I put one in to show them."

"Hmm." He watched me for some time, and I could already see what was going through his head. _'And now, all suspicion is on me. Good. With L focused mostly on me and not Tsukiko, I can get her help fully. I can manage dealing with L and can keep looking for the mage with access to L's network.'_ "Mr. Mason, I want you to report to our headquarters. With your help and the help of investigators from the Kira task force, I have no doubt we'll be able to capture Kira."

"I'm in?"

"Yes, Mr. Mason, your in."

"Alright, how much am I gonna be paid?"

"We'll discuss that once we meet. Show up in two days." He gave me a slip with an address on it and he and Watari left the room. I turned to Ryuk as he flew into the room.

"So, how was America?"

"Boring. Honestly, and it pains me to admit it, it's more interesting around you, despite how aggravating you are."

"Good knowing you too, Ryuk. Come on. It's time to check up on Tsukiko." I pressed a button calling the lab and a portal opened in front of us. Tsukiko had woken up two days after the revelation. I'd been spending time with her trying to keep her calm as Gallio worked on a way to stabilize her. I saw her smile slightly when she saw me before schooling her features. "Hello there, Miss Moon. How are we feeling today?"

"You know I hate that nick name, Bird Brain." I smile and hand her, her phone. "Thanks. How are my parents?"

"Worried sick. Your plan to say you've been abducted is working so far. Got someone to act as the fall guy. A serial rapist."

"Was that really your best idea?"

"Only thing I could think of. It was either that or a Yakuza, and considering there was no ransom, there was only one option. Worst comes to worst I'll just hypnotize any psychologist you get sent to. You've already proven you can act in these situations." We stayed silent for a few moments before I spoke up. "I'm sorry to put you in this situation. I really am. You know what's at stake, we all do. And me having to keep up the Kira killings, it's getting to me. I don't care if they're all criminals, somehow this feels like I'm betraying Denise's trust by doing this."

"I already told you," said Denise as she walked in. "I know you'd never betray my trust." She placed her hand on my cheek smiling sweetly. I could feel my heart skip a beat when she did that.

"Th-thank you for trusting me, Denise." Try as I might, I couldn't keep a blush from creeping up my face.

"If you two are done flirting," said Gallio as he walked in, carrying a small box in his hand. "I've completed it. I had a bit of help from the twins to get the energy output correct. Phoenix, I need you to try and keep her calm. I need to implant this into her neural network, problem is she needs to be awake during the surgery."

"Wouldn't that cause complications?"

"Normally yes, but we have magic at our disposal. Sarah will help me with the surgery, using healing and blood replenishing spells in case things go wrong. We will be separated by a soundproof screen. You will be taught a numbing spell and keep hold of Tsukiko's hand and channel magic into a numbing spell to her spine."

"OK, got it."

"I still can't believe magic actually exists. Why can't all worlds have access to it?" Asked Tsukiko.

"Because, there needed to be a balance between science and magic. Otherwise, there would be no other original worlds to spawn afterwards," said Sarah as she walked into the room. "Some worlds needed very little magic, others very little science. We've been trying to find out if a world has properly incorporated both equally without ignoring either."

"So far, we haven't found a single world to do so," said Gallio. He turned to Tsukiko as a platform rose next to him. "Ok, Tsukiko, just lie down and we'll get started immediately."

"Ok." I opened the pod for her and watched as her body flickered. I caught her as she stumbled out of the pod. "Thanks. I thought I'd be strong enough on my own. Guess I was wrong." I helped her to the surgery table as it was surrounded by a plastic barrier large enough to encompass all three of us around the table comfortably. A dark screen then started forming and warping around Tsukiko, bisecting her from just below her chest, down. Sarah then made a mental image appear next to me and Tsukiko. Tsukiko jumped as I turned to the loli.

"Could've given her a bit of a warning. I think the last thing she needs right now is to be jumpy."

"Point. Sorry, Tsukiko."

"It's fine," she said after calming down from her sudden fright. "Just give us some sort of warning next time. A tap on the screen, a chime, something. I'm still adjusting to all of this."

"Right. Sorry." She turned to me. "Ok, Phoenix. Ready to learn a new spell?"

"Please don't phrase it as a question. We all know I don't have a choice. Either way you'd train me this eventually."

"True, but still. No more wasting time, now follow my instructions." I nodded and grabbed hold of Tsukiko's hand lightly, slightly noticing her blushing lightly. "Ok, just remember a time when you lost all feeling in a single part of your body. Focus on it and project it using your magic. Now, channel it into Tsukiko and focus it on her spine, from where you can no longer see her body down to just above her legs. Ok, Tsukiko? Can you feel anything?"

"Not on my back, but everywhere else. That's good right?"

"Yes. Phoenix, remind me to have a serious discussion about your magical progress when we're done."

"Roger dodger." She ended the thought projection to focus on helping Gallio and I looked at Tsukiko. "Yeah, I'm not gonna humor her on that."

"Why not, wouldn't it be beneficial to speak with her on that front? You are new to this after all."

"I'm not about to sit still while she wallows in her jealousy. I don't like being lectured and interrogated at the same time. That's what it's going to amount to." I sigh as I absentmindedly trace her fingers with my thumb.

"You should talk with her. If she's truly concerned about the rate at which you're learning magic, and not just jealous, it would be in your best interest to talk with her."

"Logic tells me it's the best thing to do. I just don't want to listen."

"Why?"

"Too lazy. I'd rather be exploring, traveling from world to world, seeing things I only ever saw in shows, and movies, or read about in books. When I'm not hunting down inter-dimensional criminals or saving entire worlds from non-existence."

"That sounds like fun."

"Oh, I have no doubt it will be fun."

"And a bit lonely."

"Yeah, it might be. But what can you do? There aren't that many options for travel companions, now are there."

"What about Denise? I'm sure she'd love to go with you."

"I considered that. But, I don't know if she can leave her duties as a council member to go traveling. Or if she'd actually want to go with me."

"You're kidding right? I've seen how you two act. You're deluding yourself if you think she'd never consider spending time with you." I looked to where I felt Denise was standing and increased my hearing. I could hear her humming a melody to herself and what sounded like footsteps a moment later. _'Is she dancing?'_ I was broken from my thoughts when Tsukiko spoke up. "Phoenix?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"If you don't mind, maybe I could…" before she could finish speaking, a note sounded from my PIP boy signaling a message. I looked at it and saw it was Gallio letting us know they were done.

"Wow, that was fast. I didn't think they'd be done this quick." I looked at her. "The operation is done. I'm gonna stop the spell now, ok?"

"Oh. Yeah." I stop channeling my magic to her and saw as she grimaced slightly in discomfort. "That was unpleasant."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. The surgery area just stings and itches. It's nothing."

"If you're sure." The room started lowering back into the floor along with the screen as it warped around Tsukiko as it lowered into the floor. I helped Tsukiko to the floor. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm not flickering. So that's a good sign."

"Yeah," said Gallio. "A very good sign. Surgery went well. You're now stabilized. Now we just need to get you home. Though, we should wait for a day. Let you get your strength back up before you end up going through a portal, or any travel to another world without a vehicle."

"There's also one other thing we need to figure out…" said Tsukiko.

"And what's that?"

"Phoenix, as the god of death and justice, Kira, told the public I had been abducted by a serial rapist, and was his captive for a week before Kira caught him. The authorities, my parents, and doctors are going to check…" I blanched as realization dawned on me at her words.

"Crap," I said as I facepalmed. "I knew there was something I overlooked when I put that plan together." I groaned as Sarah spoke up.

"Easy fix, just hypnotize them so they think the checkup went well."

"Normally I would. But my hypnotism is limited right now. I have to lay my hands on the person in order to hypnotize them. For me to hypnotize the doctor that examines her. In order for me to get close and ensure it's the right doctor…" I cleared my suddenly dry throat. "I'd have to be in and stay in the same room as Tsukiko while she waits for the doctor."

"You could just wait outside the door while she changes. And go back in when she's done."

"I doubt even with my increased luck that I'd be able to time it so that no one notices a door opening and close it by itself. Not to mention any cameras in vicinity."

"Besides," said Tsukiko, her face was a bright crimson. "It's better to be safe than sorry. And, while I don't like the idea of Phoenix potentially getting a free show, there are too many variables in place to ensure that he can get close enough."

"I have an idea," said Gallio. "One that ensures that Phoenix gets to stay close and can leave the room for you to change. The only drawback is you may have to seem more affected by the 'rape' then you may have originally planned."


	5. Fear, Comfort, and the Enemy Revealed

**L's P.O.V.:**

The day had arrived when Phoenix Mason was supposed to join the task force. I had my suspicions of him. The silver glow behind Kira's mask was too reminiscent of his own unnatural silver eyes. And while the timeline didn't match up for when Phoenix arrived in the country, this led me to believe that he had a partner. Someone who was originally killing as Kira before Phoenix entered the scene. His arrival led to the FBI agents being sent back to the States as Kira led them to believe that Kira had been traveling from country to country and was somewhere in New York. Despite my best efforts of keeping them in Japan, the director insisted on pulling back his agents. This led me to try to recruit Naomi Misora and her fiancé in turn leading me to Phoenix Mason.

As I met with the man to assess his abilities Kira began his television broadcast that showed his power off to the world, solidifying the belief of his followers. This also led to the announcement that Tsukiko Yagami, Soichiro's oldest daughter, had been abducted a week prior and was still missing. It was too convenient that my original suspect had gone missing. Before I could assess the situation further, I received a phone call. "Yes?"

"L!" shouted Phoenix on the other side of the call. He sounded like he was running.

"Mr. Mason? What's wrong?'

"I was contacted by Kira!" I paused to process his words. _'Could he know my suspicions and is trying to disprove me?'_

"Mr. Mason, I'm putting you on speaker. Please repeat what you just told me." I pressed the speaker button and placed the phone on the table.

"I was on my way to the location you gave me when I received a call! It was Kira! He told me the rapist had a partner! I have an address of where that girl is being held! I'm on my way now!"

"Mr. Mason, give us that address. Stay where you are! We'll pick you up along the way!"

"Oh, thank god. I thought I was gonna have to run the whole way there!" Phoenix gave us the location of the house and his current location. We got into the cars, left the building, and went to pick him up before getting to the house. As we pulled up, Phoenix was calm enough to relay one last set of instructions. "Before he hung up, he said to tell you to leave a Touta Matsuda in the car. One of your investigators?"

"Yes, he is." I called over to the other car. "Mr. Yagami, Mr. Mason said Kira wants us to leave Matsuda in the car."

"Did he give a reason?"

"No, just that it was the last thing Kira said before hanging up."

"L…" said Phoenix as I heard Matsuda over the phone. I didn't reply right away as I waited for Soichiro to respond. I didn't notice that he was rushing to remove his seat-belt. "L!" he shouted as he was opening the door.

"What is it Mr. Mason?"

"It's him! It's Kira!" I turned to where he was looking and saw the form of Kira in the window before receding beyond view. "Stop! You bastard!" shouted Phoenix as he ran for the door.

"Mr. Mason! Wait! Dammit. Soichiro, leave Matsuda and take Mr. Aizawa to cover the back! Mr. Mogi, Mr. Ukita, you're with me. Watari, stay here please." I watched as Phoenix smashed the door in and charged into the building. I waited for Soichiro and Shuichi to get into position before giving the signal to go in. We entered the building. We found no trace of Phoenix, or of Kira. "Mr. Mason?!"

"Down here!" he shouted from a doorway on my right. I went to it and saw it led to a basement.

"Mr. Yagami, you're with me. The rest of you, clear the building up here." Me and Soichiro went down to the basement and could hear grunting and thuds. We cautiously continued forward when we heard a female voice scream. Soichiro's response was immediate.

"Tsukiko!"

"Dad! Be careful!" her next scream was followed by an angry shout and a loud thud.

"He's down!" shouted Phoenix. We made our way to the room and saw a man unconscious on the ground and Phoenix unlocking shackles around Tsukiko's wrists and ankles. She had some cuts on her exposed body and had obviously been crying. She initially flinched away from him but as her mind processed that she was finally safe, she threw her arms around his neck, sobbing. "It's alright. You're safe. He's not going to hurt you anymore." He turned to us. "I followed Kira down here. Lost track of him when I heard a muffled cry. Barged in here and found him about to… hurt her again." He took off the coat he was wearing and wrapped it around her to give her some modesty. "Bastard stabbed me in the leg, knifes on the floor behind the door." I checked and sure enough a bloody knife was there with some fresh blood dripping from it. I saw Phoenix gripping his leg and Tsukiko rip a strip from the coat and wrap it around his wound.

"Mr. Mason, you're in no condition to continue pursuit. Please stay here and watch over Ms. Yagami." I turned to Soichiro. "Mr. Yagami, please assist me in securing the rest of the base-" Then we heard Matsuda shout from outside. "Guys! I have Kira! He's out here!" Hearing this, we rushed outside. True to his word, Matsuda was holding Kira at gunpoint. "Don't move, Kira!"

"And there's the impulsiveness I predicted would be there. Without Matsuda waiting in the car, I wouldn't have guaranteed this happening. Now we can meet face to face," he turned to me, addressing me directly. "L."

"So, you're Kira."

"Indeed. And I have been waiting for this moment since you used Lind L. Tailor to try and lure me out. A cowardly yet cunning tactic. Too bad for you, I was already aware of his sins."

"Stop speaking like you knew who Lind L. Tailor was. There's no way you could tell of his crimes."

"He raped and murdered 3 young women. He was captured in Texas and was recently found guilty. Which is why you selected him to be your guinea pig." I stopped as he listed the crimes. _'There's no way he could have known that. The crimes weren't kept on digital files. He couldn't have had access to that information.'_ "As I said, I already knew of his sins. He was punished for them."

"You can't just appoint yourself Judge, Jury, and Executioner!"

"As I said earlier. You can try and stop me if you want. You are, after all, following your own form of Justice."

"We will stop you."

"You cannot hope to stop a god."

"You're no god!" said Shuichi Aizawa. "You're a man just like the rest of us!"

"Even after seeing my power you still doubt me? Then, I believe a further demonstration is in order." He pulled out a knife and advanced on Matsuda.

"Stop! Drop the knife and put your hands in the air!" Kira made no move to comply and kept walking towards Matsuda. "This is your last warning! Drop the weapon or I will open fire!" When Kira kept advancing, Matsuda, with a shaky hand, started firing in self-defense. Two shots went wide, narrowly missing us standing behind Kira. Two shots went through Kira's chest and hit the house behind us. The last bullet went through Kira's head and hit the front door of the house. There was no blood splatter, no brain matter showering those of us standing behind the serial killer. There wasn't even a wound. It was as if Kira wasn't even there. If he hadn't thrown Matsuda's gun aside and grabbed hold of the young man's shirt, I'd have thought he was a ghost.

"Now do you realize? I am your god. There's no point in trying to kill me. I will say this once my will is divine. I have no qualms with those who uphold Justice." He holds his arms up to his sides. "This world is rotten. Spoiled by mankind's greed and cowardice. You represent the noble few, those who would make a new world one worth living in. Join me, together, we ensure the end of injustice."

"You're tricks don't scare us," said Aizawa calmly. "You're nothing but a coward and a murderer. Your Justice is something we will never acknowledge."

"And does Shuichi Aizawa speak for all of you?" We all nodded grimly, and he lowered his arms. "Very well then. As I said before, 'may the best man win'. Until we meet again, Lawliet." My eyes widened as he said my last name. No one, not even people from Wammy's House knew my last name. Watari was one of the only ones who knew it, and I saw him unconscious in the car behind Matsuda.

"W-who are you?!"

"I already told you," he said as he lifted his arm into the air, in his hand was a flash bang grenade. "I am your god." He threw the flash bang to ground, blinding and deafening us. When our hearing and vision returned to normal, he was gone. There was no sign of where he fled to.

"Everyone spread out! He can't have gone far!" We spent thirty minutes searching the immediate area. We found nothing at all. It was as if he had just vanished. Watari was woken up and he said he was about to follow Matsuda when they saw Kira walk out of the house, he was knocked out before he could even undo his seat-belt. Kira had gotten away.

* * *

 **Phoenix's P.O.V. 30 minutes earlier:**

I had charged in and set one of Gallio's drones to wait above the doorway with a pre-programmed recording of me as Kira. I had recorded the image with help of the Lady's Fate showing me L's reaction.

I made my way to where Tsukiko was and the rapist we had captured to use for Gallio's plan. I glanced as she hid her clothes in a vent. She must've felt my gaze because she turned around and smirked at me. "You know you're going to have to wait till we're done here."

"True, doesn't mean I can't look." I smiled as I leaned in close to her. She pushed me away slightly.

"You have to wait. We can't do anything yet. Hand me the page please." I did as she said and handed her a pen to write with. Gallio's plan was for me to be the first one to 'save' Tsukiko from the rapist and for her to grow emotionally attached to me. Tsukiko had given it some thought and had made sure we were alone before she asked me probably the most important question she'd ever asked. She had asked me to take her virginity. At first I was reluctant, I denied quickly. She then went on to explain her reasoning. I wouldn't always be there to hypnotize anyone asking questions about her traumatic experience, and people wondering how she was still a virgin when she was abducted by two rapists would bring too many suspicions.

Once her reasoning was out in the open, I reluctantly agreed. Part of my mind, the rational part, told me that this would make Gallio's plan seem more believable in the long run. The primal part of my mind was yelling in anticipation and victory. When the act was done, we found ourselves closer than we had originally anticipated. We spent an entire night together before we needed to set up Gallio's plan.

I watched as she wrote the man's last moments in the mortal realm while I put the shackles on her ankles. I took the page from her before burning it with magic. I placed a knife in the man's hand and placed the shackles around her wrists. "Ready?"

"Yes. Sorry about the stab wound, figured it would be more believable if there was a wound."

"It's fine." I kissed her lightly and casted a spell that would make her frightful and hysterical. She snapped when we heard footsteps above us and I got ready.

"Mr. Mason?!"

"Down here!" I began fighting the enthralled man. Tsukiko screamed when we started fighting and in the hall we heard her father shout out. "Tsukiko!"

"Dad," she shouted. "Be careful!" When she said that, the man stabbed my leg, causing her to scream. I shouted as I pulled out the knife, tossed it across the room behind the door, and snapped lightly, signaling the man to fall asleep and collapse to the ground with a loud thud. "He's down!" I got up, quickly kissed Tsukiko to bring the spell down slowly, and undid her shackles. I watched as she flinched away then the spells effects fully wore off. She threw her arms around my neck and I hugged her to 'calm her down'. "It's alright. You're safe. He's not going to hurt you anymore." I could feel her roll her eyes as she buried her face in my neck, 'sobbing'.

I turned to L and Soichiro as they came in. . "I followed Kira down here. Lost track of him when I heard a muffled cry. Barged in here and found him about to… hurt her again." Again, I felt her roll her eyes as she tried to 'calm down', as I was reluctant to say the word rape. I wrapped my coat around her. "Bastard stabbed me in the leg, knifes on the floor behind the door." I saw L check behind the door and subtly nod to Soichiro that it was there.

Tsukiko ripped the bottom of the coat, a ghost of a smile on her lips at the hidden slightly annoyed look in my eyes. "Mr. Mason, you're in no condition to continue pursuit. Please stay here with Ms. Yagami. Mr. Yagami, please assist me in securing the rest of the base-" That's when the drone must've activated, because we heard Matsuda shout from outside.

"Guys! I have Kira! He's out here!" L and Soichiro both rushed from the room and up the steps. We heard the others running to Matsuda as well and I turned to Tsukiko.

"You couldn't have used the bed sheets?"

"No."

"You had to use my coat?"

"Yes." I mock glared at her and kissed her forehead.

"We're going to drive each other nuts aren't we?"

"Oh, definitely yes." She pulled me close and kissed me.

"It's going to be worth it in the end, won't it?"

"I hope it is." I kissed her and cast an illusion spell over us in case someone decided to check in on us. I held her close and slipped a hand down her body.

"You're acting bold."

"Just a bit of payback for the coat." She gasped as my hand reached its destination.

"O-oh God. You're a bastard."

"Yes I am." She gasped lightly as I channeled magic to heighten her nerves.

"I-I'm going to get you back for this." She bit her lip to try and keep from screaming.

"Oh, I'm sure. But it's worth it for right now." I kissed her heatedly as I increased my ministrations.

"Y-you're cheating."

"Not cheating. I'm using everything I can to increase your torture."

"T-this is torture?" I kissed her again to muffle what was going to be a loud moan of pleasure.

"No," I replied. I felt her about to climax and stopped. She whined as I pulled my hand away, her body instinctively trying to regain contact, so she could climax. "This is your torture."

"Oh, you are evil," she said, slightly out of breath.

"I know. I also know this will come back to bite me in the ass later." I kissed her and smiled at her glaring face. "But, I'm not sorry. I want to spend more time with you. I'll accept any punishment you deem fit to give me at a later time." She stopped glaring and blushed when I was finished speaking. "I mean it." I smiled warmly at her and could see her blush darken.

"Just for that, I'll go easy on you when your punishment comes around." I smiled, and we shared a kiss as we heard the flash bang go off. The drone flew back in and I sent it into my inventory. "Plan went off without a hitch. More than likely, L is shaking in his… wait he doesn't wear shoes."

"Really? You're being nit-picky in your phrases?"

"Yes. It needs to fit the situation."

"Hopefully you're not as picky with the women who will want to be with you." I paused as my mind processed her words.

"I'm sorry, I think that guy knocked my head around a bit when I was fighting him. Did you just say…"

"Other women? Yes. I'm not blind or stupid. I've seen how you and Denise care for each other. I'm not about to come in between you."

"Unless she wants you to?" I smirked as she blushed and cleared her throat. She smacked my chest before she continued speaking.

"First; shut up, perv. Second; maybe. I won't deny I find her extremely attractive. Third; I think you two seem perfect together and won't stop you two. Also, I'm sure she was planning something similar before even asking you to date her. You've seen how dark she can be sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another side to her that she'll only show someone in intimate privacy." I caught her voice sounding more like she was off in dreamland and saw her staring straight ahead, a lustful look in her eye.

"Admit it, you're fantasizing about her." She snapped out of her fantasy and smacked my chest again.

"I was. And you just ruined it." I chuckled as she pouted. We heard Ryuk chuckling behind us and turned around annoyed. "Ryuk, anything to share?"

"I think I found him."

"The mage?"

"Possibly. A man whose name shows up like yours in my eyes was at a market earlier."

"Did you catch any of his features?"

"No. Somehow they were distorting their image from me."

"Sounds like an illusion spell. I'll have to run it by Sarah. Ryuk, were you able to follow them?"

"Only for a while. They must've felt me doing so because they went invisible not long after."

"Dammit. Ryuk, I'll get you a bunch of apples soon. For now, we need to carry out the rest of the plan."

"Alright. If you need me, I'll be waiting at the Yagami household." With that, he left us alone.

"So close, and yet so far."

"Don't start with clichés. It'll get old fast." Tsukiko told me as she placed her hand in mine and rested her head on my shoulder. I gave it a gentle squeeze before kissing her knuckles.

"Yes dear."

"And don't be a sarcastic ass."

"I can't make that promise." She scoffed playfully and shook her head slightly. We sat there in comfortable silence and waited for the others.

"Oh, and about what I said before Ryuk showed up… I'm being honest when I say I'm fine with you being with other girls." She placed a finger on my lips to stop me from speaking up. "But, there will be ground rules. Rules we will discuss later." She kissed me before smiling seductively. "After you and Denise finally get together."

"Why do I get the feeling you're planning something."

"Because you know I am." I chuckled and heard footsteps coming towards the stairs.

"Someone's coming." She sighed and removed her hand from my own. I kissed her lightly, casting a sleeping spell at the same time and let her fall asleep on my shoulder as she clung to my arm. Not long after, Soichiro came in.

"How is she?"

"She's asleep. I don't blame her. After what she went through…"

"How could this happen?"

"Bad luck, wrong place wrong time, smarter than they look bad guys? Pick a cliché." Soichiro tried to pick her up but in her sleep she clung to me tighter. "Damn. She's got a surprisingly strong grip."

"She gets it from me."

"You're her father, I take it?"

"Yes, I am." He held out his hand to me. "Soichiro Yagami. I want to thank you for saving my daughter." I shook it with my free hand and smiled slightly.

"Phoenix Mason, wish we could've met under different circumstances."

"I feel the same way. We just called an ambulance. It should be here soon. Considering your current situation, can I trust you to get her to the ambulance and the hospital?"

"Don't seem to have a choice do I?" I joked. I chuckled slightly before turning serious. "Sorry. Never been stabbed before. Poor attempts at humor seem to be how I push through the pain."

"Don't worry about it. Just look after my daughter."

"I will, you have my word." He nodded. When the ambulance arrived, I carried her to the car. I sat with her in the back and hypnotized both EMTs to sit in the front, not check on us, and take a long route to the hospital. Once we took off, I woke her up. I kissed her as she was coming to. She wrapped her arms around my neck.

"That is a wonderful way to wake up. I can't wait to wake up like that some more."

"Unfortunately, we have to wait a bit for that. For now, we make the best of our short time."

"What about the EMTs?"

"Hypnotized them as soon as they were in reach. We'll be taking the long route to the hospital."

"Planned for everything huh?"

"Short of divine intervention, yes." We kissed and spent the ride together in bliss.

* * *

A month passed before anything significant happened. Tsukiko had been frequently visiting the task force headquarters, her official reasoning was to help out her father, but the rest of the task force had noticed her becoming increasingly attached and infatuated with me, to the point where Soichiro had sat me down one day before she had arrived one day to talk. "Mr. Mason, we need to talk."

"Ooh, Mr. Mason and not Phoenix. This sounds important, and potentially threatening," I joked. He gave me a stern glare and I cringed slightly. "Got it, not the tone for this discussion."

"Mr. Mason, I've noticed that my daughter has been growing attached to you since the incident last month." _'Ah, it's going to be that kind of discussion. Can't say I didn't see this coming. Just hoped it wouldn't be this soon.'_ "I want to know what your intentions are with her."

"Well, I don't really have any intentions. I don't know why she's grown attached to me."

"It's because you saved her life," interjected L.

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to brush me up on psychology."

"She'd suffered a rather traumatic experience, you were the one to charge in like a knight in shining armor. Defeated her abductor and rescued her. Her slightly damaged psyche would likely put you on a pedestal to cope with her situation. At this moment, it may be beneficial to go along with her advances to help her recover." Soichiro looked like he was about to yell at L, when I chose to put my two scents in.

"L, doesn't that seem, underhanded? There has to be a healthier way to help her." He bit into his cake as he contemplated my words while going over another list of criminal deaths.

"You could always flat out reject her. Though that could bring about her ire. You might also find someone else to draw her attention away from you, though there's no guarantee that it could work. The best thing, I think, would be to get her to keep her focus on something other than you so that she can focus more on her mental recovery. Spend some time with her and help her get better." I turned to Soichiro.

"This is regarding your daughter's mental health. Don't focus on something you may not like rather than what may help her. You're the boss in this scenario. I'm not going to do anything without you're approval." He seemed to think it over for a few seconds.

"Mr. Mason, you are not to take advantage of her in any way shape or form."

"I'd never do that. My mother raised me to be respectful. She needs help recovering, I'd never take advantage of that at all. It would not be good for her. My first priority is to help her."

"Do what you feel is right then." I nodded as Tsukiko walked in carrying Soichiro's lunch from home and still in her school uniform. _'Oh, she just had to choose to keep wearing that today. Can't tell if Lucy's blessing is working for or against me right now.'_

"Here's your lunch dad. You forgot it, again."

"Thank you. I really should be more mindful." As they started talking, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that another Shinigami flew into the building. _'Who's that?'_ I saw them standing in front of a computer terminal and put in a flash drive. _'What the hell?!'_ "Phoenix?" asked Soichiro. "What's wrong? You look pale all of a sudden."

"I-it's nothing. I think I ate something bad yesterday and it's finally getting to me. I just need some fresh air."

"I'll go with you," said Tsukiko. She followed me to the elevator as I left a drone in stealth mode watching the Shinigami. When we were outside of where my drones found L's surveillance devices, she turned to me. "What's really wrong?"

"There's a Shinigami in the office. They just plugged a flash drive into the computer terminal." I pulled up the live feed from the drone, so we could see what was going on. The Shinigami was standing at the terminal, waiting for the download to finish. It then turned toward the drone. "Okay, that's not creepy at all."

"What's it doing?" I maneuver the drone to a different angle behind the Shinigami and watch as its head tracks us until it does a complete 180 degree turn from the rest of its body.

"It can see the drone! I'm starting it's EMP."

"Wait, won't that short out the drone?!"

"Yes, but it's a risk we need to take. I don't know what it's downloading, but we gotta stop it." I sent the drone to the terminal, only for the Shinigami to snatch it and rip out it's EMP device. "Shit. How did it know where to look."

"So," said the Shinigami in a voice I knew all to well as an avid geek in my world. "You're the Council's lackey. I guess that fool of a mage was telling the truth. No matter. You can't stop us, Verser." I could feel my skin turn white as I heard him speak. No doubt Tsukiko could see me turn pale as well because she asked me if I was alright. "I will see you soon, Verser." It pulled out the flash drive and smashed the terminal, drawing the attention of the rest of the Task Force.

"What the hell?!" Shouted Soichiro when the terminal suddenly caved in. It burst into flames causing them to run for the fire extinguisher. The Shinigami smashed open one of the windows and crushed the drone slightly to damage its hover device before tossing it out the window. I ran to where I saw glass falling and moved people out of the way from the larger shards, getting hit in the back by one but ignoring the pain. I discretely caught the drone and dropped to a knee when my body finally registered the pain of the glass.

"PHOENIX!" shouted Tsukiko as she ran to me. From what Tsukiko told me happened, my eyes started glowing, drawing people in closer as they called an ambulance. I don't remember much, just that I was in extreme pain. She held me trying to calm me down and ignore the pain. She told me that electricity started arcing from the wound until clouds formed overhead. That's when a bolt of lightning struck us both, knocking us out.

* * *

We didn't wake up for a week. The first question I was asked when I came to is what happened, the second was why they couldn't take off my watch. I looked around and saw Tsukiko unconscious in the bed next to me. I ignored the protests of both the doctor and the rest of the task force and made my way to her.

I gripped her hand lightly, channeling healing magic into her. I noticed her hair had streaks of white in it now. I stroked her cheek lightly until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around suddenly, acting like I had been in a trance and saw a concerned L and Soichiro behind me. "Mr. Mason," said L. "Are you alright?" I stared at him before I remembered what had happened before hand. I went to the doctor and put my hand on him, not hiding my magic. My voice held power as I spoke with him.

"You are going to leave, write both of us have a clean bill of health and left of our own accord. You will order no one else to check up on us." When my hypnosis spell took effect, he turned around in a trance and left the room. I closed the door and went back to Tsukiko.

"Phoenix," said Soichiro. "How did you do that?"

"What's going on?" asked another voice. I turned to see Tsukiko's family and Raye Penber and Naomi Misora in the room as well. I ignored everyone as I heard Tsukiko groan, waking up. I turned to her as she sat up slowly. She looked around slowly, taking in where she was before she noticed me.

"Phoenix…" she threw her arms around my neck, and I held her close. "You're ok."

"Barely." We stayed like that for a while, ignoring everyone. "The time for discretion is over. We have a major problem we need to deal with." I accessed my PIP boy and called Ryuk over to where we were. I pulled out the Death Note and handed it to L. "Pass that around. Make sure everyone in this room touches it." Ryuk came into the room and L stared at him in shock. The Death Note was passed around and everyone could now see the Shinigami.

"Phoenix," said Tsukiko. "What are you doing?"

"I have no choice right now. We need all the help we can get. And we need to make sure your family is safe." I called Gallio and watched as the screen came up. He glanced up briefly from his project.

"Phoenix, how's the search g…" he then seemed to realize who was behind me and looked up fully. "Kid, what are you doing?"

"Get Tyra, please. Tell her she needs to open a portal for 14 people. And call the Council. We have a problem." Gallio must have heard the urgency in my voice, he didn't hesitate for a second and rushed from the room.

"Mr. Mason!" shouted L. "Tell us what the hell is going on!"

"I'll explain once we're safe." On the screen we saw Tyra walk in, clearly annoyed and about to tell me off when I stopped her. "We don't have time for your hatred towards me Tyra. I have a major update everyone needs to hear. Open a portal, NOW!" According to Tsukiko, my voice distorted unnaturally on the last word, scaring Tyra and forcing her to open a portal. "Everyone, go through now!" I watched as everyone went through the portal except Tsukiko as she gripped my hand.

"What's going on?" I pulled her close and kissed her lightly.

"Things just became even more dangerous. We'll need as much help as we can get." I pulled her through the portal just as Denise and the rest of the Council came through. Sarah looked at both of us, clearly curious. I ignored her and looked at the Council. "We have a dangerous new foe. One I am not looking forward to facing as it means going off against one of the most dangerous minds I know of."

"Who?" asked Gareth. I looked at him, dreading the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

"A Shinigami. One not from this world. One capable of out thinking everyone here. A Shinigami who was created from extensive use of a Death Note." At this, Denise's eyes widened, and her pale skin turned paler.

"No. Not him!"

"Who are you talking about," asked Tsukiko. I turned to her, a grim look on my face.

"You remember us explaining the Metaverse," said Gareth, a look of barely controlled rage on his face.

"Yes, what about it?"

"Your Universe has only one major change to it from the Prime. That change is you. There are an infinite amount of changes that exist. And one of them once contained the most dangerous version of your Prime counterpart, Light Yagami."

"This version of Light," continued Denise. "Was more successful in his plan than the Prime Light. He not only defeated L, Near, and Mello, he also found a way to add the years of his victims to his own. He became a Shinigami and wanted more and more time. The power consumed his mind, he no longer wanted to kill just criminals. He wanted to kill those with the most amount of time to add to his own."

"He's the only one we were aware was in Shadow Vault, we personally put him in there," said Gallio. "He's more intelligent than any other version of Light or you. Hell, he may even be smarter than me. We know he was smart enough to out think the Shinigami King of his world and kill him. That's how we caught wind of him."

"He was disrupting the balance," said Denise. That's when I remembered something about Shinigami Light. "He managed to learn more about his Multiverse and the Metaverse as a whole."

"Hey, Denise?" I asked her.

"What is it?"

"Your scythe, was it uniquely shaped, slightly curved handle, shorter blade, capable of shrinking down into a necklace?"

"Yes! How did you… No. Don't tell me…"

"Well, I guess I can say this now." I turned to Gareth as realization struck him and Tyra at the same time. "Hey, God. Ya done fucked up! When you and Tyra chucked the scythe in whatever random direction you felt like, you ended up creating probably the most dangerous psychopathic immortal in the Metaverse!" I growled softly, only calming down when both Tsukiko and Denise gripped my hands.

"Phoenix," said L. "Can you please explain what is going on?" I sighed and equipped the armor, mask, and hood. I turned around and faced him. Everyone stared at me as I stood there. Tsukiko stood next to me and took my hand again before turning to her father.

"We are Kira. We've been killing criminals. And in the last month, I've been helping Phoenix in trying to save our world." As she and Gallio began to carefully explain the situation, I pulled Gareth aside.

"Looks like your theory was just confirmed."

"More than one escapee. While I still hold hope they're the only two, not even Lucy is that lucky. You were right to bring everyone here. But now, we need to adjust our plans. Ultimate Kira, as he's taken to calling himself, is more powerful than a simple mage. Our only saving grace is he cannot interact with anything resembling a Death Note. It was a curse we put on him before he was locked away."

"Which must be why he's after the Master Life Note."

"The Fate Book, it fits it's abilities much more significantly."

"Have you found anything out about it?"

"No, everything I found in my predecessor's notes alluded to a single word. This word is the key, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is." He got lost in thought for a second before turning to me. "Phoenix, was there anything Ultimate Kira told you? Anything that seemed significant?"

"No, not that I can think of. Wait, there was one thing. He called me something before destroying the drone I used to watch him."

"Do you remember what it was?"

"Sort of. I remember it started with a V, but the rest of it eludes me. Ver… something…"

"Take your time. When you do remember the word, report to me immediately."

"You got it boss." I shuddered after I said that. "Calling you boss just sounds wrong." He looked at me curiously before sighing.

"Just get back to work." He left the lab and I went back to the others. They had just been explained the current situation and all looked sick, thankfully they weren't as bad as Tsukiko had been originally. I looked around and couldn't find Tsukiko. Denise came up to me.

"If you're looking for Tsukiko, she ran off towards my room."

"Is she okay?"

"I think the fact that an alternate version of her is threatening her family and you is taking its toll on her. You need to talk with her."

"Come with me. I can't calm her down alone." She nodded, and we went to her room. I looked around and saw Gothic Lolita paraphernalia. I glanced at Denise and saw her blushing and chuckling nervously. I saw Tsukiko sitting on Denise's bed, hugging a zombie cat plushie and went to her. I could tell she'd been crying and was extremely worried. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She turned to me, startled and lunged at me, holding me close to her as she sobbed. I held her close and said nothing, I just let her cry, waiting until she was ready to talk. It took a few minutes, but she finally calmed down slightly. We sat there in silence, holding each other in our arms. Denise tried getting up to leave, but Tsukiko grabbed her wrist lightly.

"Please stay."

"Oh, I don't want to intru… HMM!" she squeaked in surprise when Tsukiko pulled her into a kiss, causing both me and Denise to blush at her forwardness. She pulled away as Denise touched her lips.

"I need both of you right now." She sat in my lap and pulled Denise beside her. We blushed even harder when we looked at each other. Tsukiko kissed both of us and pushed us closer together a small smile on her lips as she urged us on. I looked at Denise and stared into her eyes. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours before leaning into each other. When our lips met, neither of us wanted to pull away. Despite my flirtatious antics with her, I was nervous actually following up with her. I heard her moan as we kissed and felt Tsukiko next to us, kissing Denise's neck. I pulled them both close to me as we fell onto the bed and spent a night together.

* * *

When we finished, we were laying on Denise's bed, Tsukiko asleep between the two of us and peacefully sleeping with a blissful smile on her face. I took Denise's hand and kissed her knuckles. She smiled and kissed me, careful not to wake Tsukiko. "Wish this had been under more normal circumstances," she said.

"I don't think anything about this can be considered 'normal'." I kissed her and kissed Tsukiko's forehead smiling. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." Tsukiko turned in her sleep and wrapped an arm around Denise's waist. I kissed her again as she held Tsukiko close and got out of the bed. I put my clothes back on and looked at her. "I'll get your scythe back. I'm pretty sure getting it off his neck will make him mortal again, and I can kill him." Denise told me she saw my face darken, much like hers does on occasion, and my eyes glowed silver as I smiled evilly. "Both him and the Necromancer are going to know pain." I saw her shudder and collapse, holding Tsukiko's head to her chest.

I went to where the others were after being told of their circumstances. L saw me enter and was about to say something when Raye swung for my head. I ducked and pinned him to the wall. "Good to see you too, Raye."

"You bastard. You played me!"

"I did what I had to, to make sure you and your fiancé lived!" I threw him to Naomi who caught him before he hit the ground. "If it weren't for my involvement, Tsukiko would've killed you both. Would've kept the same mindset as her counterparts. When she met the Council, she was humbled, they saved her life, showed her she could explore other worlds and not be bound to just her own. Something in her changed since I met her. I came here to catch a criminal, then I chose to make your lives better. Excuse me if I had to lie in order to do that, but I had no choice!" My anger made my magic flare and jostle everything not bolted down in the lab.

"Phoenix," said Gallio. "Pacification Field, now."

"Shut up. I need to vent." I turned to Raye. "You and Naomi are both killed by Light in the Prime world. I'm preventing that from happening here. As much as I can. I'm not asking for forgiveness, what I've had to do doesn't garner it, I'm not apologizing because it was necessary, I'm not asking for your friendship, because I don't deserve it. I tried to make sure you and Naomi actually got to live a happy life together!" I breathed heavily as I regained my composure. "Now shut up and stay quiet. L, I believe you were going to say something."

"Only a question. How did you pull off the two places at once trick."

"Oh, that's right." I removed the damaged drone from my inventory and handed it to Gallio. "Ultimate Kira could somehow see it in Stealth Mode, ripped out it's EMP, and crushed it's hover device."

"I told you not to broke my things."

"Fuck off, I'm in no mood for your shit." Gallio shrugged and tossed the drone into a pile of broken machines. I turned to the twins. "Kira, Tyra. Can you please send me to a certain point in that world?"

"Where do you want to go?" asked Kira.

"April 2nd, 2004. The day Misa Amane moved to Tokyo. She'll have the Eyes already, she'll know me once she sees me. We need to get to her before the Necromancer and Ultimate Kira do. Rem is most likely their only way to the Shinigami Realm for the Necromancer since Ultimate Kira cannot hold a notebook." They nodded and opened a purple and black portal. I stepped through and found myself near a bus depot. I looked around and saw a crowd just getting onto a bus. _'Hopefully I don't have to wait too long._ I thought to myself.

* * *

I waited for an hour before another bus arrived. I held a sign saying 'Rem' to try and draw Misa's attention to me when she arrived. I saw no one come off the bus resembling Misa, nor did I see Rem at all. _'I really hope I'm not too late and they got to her. No, stop that thinking! This world still exists, I can still save it.'_ I had just sat down when I felt a knife against my throat. I could already tell it was the dull end of the blade just by the feel of it. _'Is this Misa? Better play along.'_ "Well, that's one way to greet someone."

"Shut up," said my assailant. It was a feminine voice trying to sound gruff. _'Most likely Misa. Only one way to play this out.'_ "I want to know who you are, tell me your name."

"Phoenix Mason, at your service. I'm assuming you're the woman from a few months ago?" Her only response was removing the knife from my neck, turning me around, and capturing my lips in a kiss as she held me close. I stood there wide-eyed as I examined her. Sure enough, it was the woman from a few months ago, I could now tell she was wearing a realistic looking wig, light makeup, and sunglasses to hide her eyes.

She pulled away from the kiss and hugged me, keeping her face against my chest. "I found you! Kira, I found you." I grunted slightly as she hugged me tight and tried to pull out of her embrace.

"Ms. Amane," I whispered so I wouldn't attract anymore attention, "We need to get out of here now. You're not safe. Signal Rem and come with me. I need to get you out of h…" I was interrupted when everyone in the depot besides us dropped dead. Men, women and children. "Shit. They're here."

"How fitting," said a voice behind us. I turned around and saw a tall man with pointed ears, pale white skin, white hair and yellow eyes wearing a suit that seemed odd on his skin and holding the skull shaped staff from before. "The 'hero' arriving to rescue the damsel in distress. Only to fail in the end. Oh, I do so love clichés. Don't you, 'hero'?" I moved Misa behind me and tried signaling the twins to get her out of here. When nothing happened, the man laughed. "The Council cannot save her any more than you can. My associate can successfully mask their gaze here."

"So, I was right after all. It's nice to formally meet you, King of Worms."

"You know me? Hmph. So, the False Death God was right. How deplorable. I thought the Council would never stood so low as to create a Verser to serve their needs." He put his staff on his back and smiled grimly. "Too bad their first Verser will be their last. Stand aside 'hero' and give me the girl."

"You know, using hero as an insult isn't all that intimidating." I silently cast an invisible magic drain barrier between us as me and Misa backed away. "How would you like it if I referred to you as 'Lich' the way you use 'hero'?"

"Insolent boy, I am no longer a mere Lich. I am the True Death God!" He cast a stream of fire at us and it impacted my barrier. I noticed that once he started, he couldn't stop and that the barrier was draining him and fueling me. "W-what is this?! I can't stop the flow of magic!"

"Magic Drain Barrier. A technique I thought of to defeat others like you."

"Anti-magic?! Coward!"

"Says the Altmer attacking a defenseless young lady. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're getting what was coming to you." Try as he might he couldn't stop or move from his spot. I saw what little color he had start draining from his face. That's when I noticed it was no longer just his magic being drained. It was his soul. I dropped the barrier, forcing Mannimarco to his knees. I walked up to him and took the silver dagger at his waist. I put the dagger at his neck as his strength left him. "Time to die, 'Lich'." Before I could bring the knife across his neck, I felt a sharp pain and heard a dull thud as Misa screamed. I looked down and saw my right arm on the ground. I dropped to my knees in shock and looked up. Standing nearby, was a man with pale white skin, serpent features, blood red eyes, and long fingers holding a wand with bumps on it from handle to tip.

"Poor Mannimarco. You underestimated your opponent. And that has led to your downfall"

"Riddle," said the King of Worms, his voice full of hatred. "You gutless serpent. You could've struck him down."

"Ah, but I will. He is, after all, defenseless." He walked closer to Mannimarco and pointed his wand at the Altmer's neck. "But first, I'll dispose of a weakling like you."

"I hope you rot in hell!"

" _Sectum Sempra._ " A blast of magic severed Mannimarco's head from his shoulders.

"Dammit, Riddle," said someone from where Misa was standing. I saw a man with pale white skin, green hair, and an eternal smile on his face. "I wanted to kill him!"

"You can kill the boy, clown. Just get the girl!"

"You need to lighten up, Voldy! I got her! You need to smile more!"

"I'll smile when our plans remain unhindered. Just get the girl. The Shinigami should be nearby."

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, and the Joker. What is this? The Villain's Pub" I said as I rose to my feet.

"Oh, it's not just us, Kiddo! We've got a regular dream team of villainy!"

"I'm gonna take a stab in the dark, someone is able to mask your presence in other worlds. For that, they'd need immense power. I'm gonna say, Sosuke Aizen."

"Right in one! Should we tell him his prize, Voldy?!"

"Enough of your games clown! As long as the Verser is alive, he is a threat to our plans! We need to kill him now!"

"You should've just used _Avada Kedavra_ , Tom. Not just a severing spell." I used a telekinesis spell to send Joker into Voldemort and away from Misa. I ran to her and used my remaining arm to shepherd her away from them, I summoned the head of Mannimarco and his staff and put them both in my inventory. I saw Rem coming from a few feet away and led Misa there. "Rem!" She turned to me startled. "Rem! You need to get Misa away from here! Now! She's in danger!" Before Rem could respond or comprehend what was going on, Misa turned to me.

"Wait! What about you?!"

"I have to hold them off! They have people who can help them, but so do I." I looked at Rem. "Contact the Shinigami King, tell him to call Lady Denise and tell her Phoenix is in trouble. Hurry up and go!" I pushed them both along and turned as Joker threw an explosive playing card at me. I raised a wall of earth to block it, which Voldemort just exploded before the cards could. "Shit!" I braced myself and was sent flying by the cards, a magical shield protecting me from the worst damage.

"Don't look so down, Kid! You're only up against your doom!"

"Fuck off you wannabe Pennywise mother fucker!" He kicked me in the ribs at my jab.

"He's not even a real clown!"

"He's a better clown than you, at least he has a shot at killing Batman, that's something you couldn't do on a bad day!" He growled and swung a punch at me. I dodged it and caught his arm with my remaining arm. I headbutted him and snapped his arm at an awkward angle. As he screamed I put up a Magic Drain Barrier between us just in time to block Voldemort's blasting curse. "Gotta try better than that Moldy-butt!" I conjured an arm of shadow to replace my missing one, making Voldemort's eyes widen.

"Umbramancy?! Impossible!"

"Try improbable!" I launched him into the air using an Earth Pillar spell and slammed him down with a Gale Wind spell on top of Joker. "Time to burn assholes!" I sent a Fiend Fire spell at them and saw it was the shape of a dragon. Before it hit him, it disappeared. Suddenly a spear of light pierced my chest, just missing my heart and lungs. "Gah!"

"Having trouble, Riddle?" I looked at the new voice and saw two men standing nearby. One was a man with long blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a green suit. The other was a man in white robes, slicked back brown hair and a condescending gaze. In the man in whites arm was a struggling Misa, a knife held to her throat. The man in green spoke up again. "Honestly, can't handle one single mortal."

"You will be silent!" shouted Voldemort. "He's not a mere mortal, Embryo! He's a Verser!"

"He's not a Verser," said the man in white. "Otherwise he'd have detected us. Versers know when someone with similar abilities is nearby. It's how they hunt us down in other Realities." Rem flew towards us fast.

"Misa!"

"Rem!" I shouted. "Don't do as they ask! Get out of here!"

"I have to save Misa!"

"You don't know their names! They don't apply to this world's rules! They won't let her go! If you do what they're going to ask you to do she, and everyone else, will be doomed!"

"Rem," said someone above us. I looked up and saw Ultimate Kira. "If you don't do as I say, she will die. Take your Death Note and write the true name of both of those mortals and send them to the Shinigami Realm. Do so, and Misa Amane will be spared the fate of this world, as will you."

"Rem! Don't!" Rem looked between me and Misa and made up her mind. She looked at me.

"I'm sorry Mortal. But I will save Misa."

"NO!" Rem wrote in the Death Note and a portal opened above Joker and Voldemort. They rose into the portal as Rem turned to dust.

"Rem!" shouted Misa.

"Kill them both Aizen," said one last voice. I turned and saw a man with green skin, spiky white hair and an air of arrogance that would make Gareth green with envy. "Our plans are almost complete. Soon, the Council will be weak enough for us to kill, and we shall claim what is ours." He turned to me with a look of contempt. "Foolish Mortal. You cannot think to stand against gods."

"What are gods to a non-believer!" I flared my magic and pulled Rem's remains, Death Note, and Misa towards me. I cast a domed barrier around us and snapped. Meteor's appeared in the sky above us and crashed into the two men flying. Ultimate Kira crashed near my barrier, a meteor crushing him against the concrete ground. I reached through the barrier and pulled Denise's scythe from his neck. His eyes widened as the necklace drained all the years he stole into itself. I watched as he turned to dust. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head.

" _Mr. Mason."_ It said. _"Focus on the necklace, bring it to it's true form and slash the air in front of you with a destination in mind! Do it now!"_ I followed the voices instructions and brought out the scythe's true form. I saw into Gallio's lab and saw everyone staring back at me. I saw Tsukiko and Denise gasp and tears form in their eyes as they saw what condition I was in. I turned to Misa.

"Misa go through. I'll be right behind you." She nodded and walked through. I closed the rift before anyone could come through and looked at the men dodging Meteor's. My eyes met the green skinned man and I smirked. "Foolish 'God'. You cannot think to stand against Mortals." He glared and charged at me, a blade of energy formed on his hand. I brought out what Sarah had helped slip into my PIP boy from Gallio's lab and activated it. When the god thought nothing happened he continued his attack and broke through my barrier. I blocked his attack with what looked like open air.

"What?!" I held him in place with a telekinesis spell and placed the scythe atop his head.

"Wonder what will happen If I do this." I sliced down picturing the mantle of the Sun as the destination. The god screamed as I brought a barrier around him to block the Sun's natural radiation only for the barrier to fail. "Whoa." I closed the rift and opened a new one, this one to the Shinigami Realm.

* * *

I was brought in front of a large throne with what looked like a 5-year-old girl sitting in it. I closed rift and dropped to a knee, fatigue starting to set in from blood loss."A mortal? Here? That's intriguing." I turned to the girl and saw she was more of a skeleton than a human girl."

"I take it you're the Shinigami King?"

"In the bone meal."

"Oh, thank Gareth. Crap, I said it again." She smacked me upside the head, glaring.

"Language!"

"Sorry."

"You're forgiven. So, what can I do for you mortal?"

"Can you stop with the 'mortal' thing? My names Phoenix."

"Ok then Phoenix, how can I help you?"

"Two mortals, escaped prisoners from the Shadow Vault, are in the Shinigami Realm. Rem died sending them here. She was protecting a mortal girl she fell in love with."

"Why are they coming here?"

"They're after the Master Death and Life Notes."

"How do you know about those?"

"No time to explain. Can you sense them here?" She closed her eyes, trying to sense them.

"I feel them, they're on the other side of the Realm. Far enough away that they can't do any… wait what are..?" She opened her eyes suddenly and looked at me. "They just brought three others in here! That shouldn't be possible! Who are they?!"

"Shadow Vault prisoners. Threats to reality. Wait, did you say three?" When she nodded I cursed again, she ignored it this time. "That green guy must've been brought back by one of them. We need to get you and the Master Notes out of here."

"Not me."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not leaving my friends behind. These men are powerful enough to kill all of the Shinigami. I'm not leaving them. But I can give you the Master Notes. Get them out of here."

"I will, where are they?"

"I have to conjure them, they're a part of me. It'll take time to get both of them out."

"How long?"

"Ten minutes. She turned to where she felt them. And they'll be here in six."

"Fuck. I don't think I can fight off all of them for six minutes."

"You don't look like you can even handle one. No, the other Shinigami will stall them."

"What? You can't do that. Just send me, I'll leave Lady Denise's scythe, so you can send them to the Deific Council. I'll stall them for as long as possible." I tried standing only to drop again as blood loss was starting to take its toll."

"No. You're staying here and I'm sending the Shinigami to fight. They'll enjoy it anyways." She sent her voice to all of the Realm. "Shinigami, powerful mortals, immune to the Death Note, have invaded the Realm and are after a sacred artifact. You must defend me and the artifacts for as long as you can! Don't let them through!" Outside the hall I heard shouts and bellows of anticipation as the Shinigami prepared for battle.

"I-I'm going to…"

"No. stay and rest. I'll conjure the Notes." She began to channel energy into her hands and two books, one black and one white began to form very slowly. I groaned and finally switched from a shadow arm to a healing spell to stop the flow of blood. Outside, I could hear shouts of battle and explosions sounding in the distance and only getting closer.

I stood up and placed the metal cylinder back in my inventory as I shrank the scythe back into it's necklace form. The entire time I waited for her to finish, I felt like we were being watched. I looked around and saw nothing, but the feeling was still there. Soon the 10 minutes were up, and the Shinigami King was holding two notebooks. "Here they are. Take them an l…" before she could finish her statement, a bolt of what seemed like plasma went through her chest, I watched as she collapsed and a man with sandy blonde hair, a scraggly beard, and wearing a black tracksuit standing behind her, holding a futuristic weapon.

"Never send fools to do a genius' job." He shouldered the weapon as the other men entered the room, a trail of broken bodies behind them. He turned to them. "You should have ordered her to send you to the throne room! What would you idiots do without me?!"

"Be silent, Mortal." Said the green-skinned man, his body slowly recovering from his encounter with the Sun.

"Care to repeat that?" said the man in the track suit as he picked up the Master Life Note.

The green-skinned man grunted in surprise before calming himself. "Accursed egotistical Time Lord."

"I thought not." He opened the Master Life Note and wrote something down. "There, now this world will collapse as we leave." He seemed to remember I was here and glared. "Why is the human boy still alive?"

"He's a difficult one to kill. It appears he has Lady Luck's blessing."

"Ooh! That'll make a killing at casinos! HahahahAHAHAH!" shouted Joker.

"If you want something done right," said the Time Lord as he picked up the Master Death Note, "Do it yourself." He was about to write my death when he, inexplicably, turned into a sheep, dropping both notebooks. The scared sheep ran out of the room as the Time Lord's companions watched in shocked fascination.

"Hah!" exclaimed a man with a Scottish brogue. I turned and saw a man with short white hair and a white beard wearing a purple and orange suit twirling a staff and carrying a sack over his shoulder. "Wabbajack! Gets 'em every time!" He helped me to my feet and handed me a glass vial with a red liquid. "Drink up lad. You're going to need it." He turned to the men by the door. "I want you to take me sack and the notebooks and go boy."

"Y-you're…" He smiled and bowed to me.

"Sheogorath! Daedric Prince of Madness, at your service. Now! Go! Get out of here! We'll handle them!"

"We?"

"He speaks of me." I turned around and saw a man with white hair, a white Gi, and lightning in his eyes. "Sheogorath and I will fend them off for as long as we can. I fear we are both fading, and don't have much time."

"I can stay and help!"

 **(Start playing "You say run" here.)**

"Don't be daft, lad! Ye can barely stand! Just do as we say and go! Make sure these arrogant bastards pay for what they've done to our worlds!" Half way through his words, his voice distorted and sounded more feminine and his skin turned an ashen gray. "Take the sack the notebooks and go! We can only fend them off for so long! Hurry!" I jumped up and grabbed the bag before charging towards the Master Notes, my magical energy depleted.

"Stop him!" shouted the green-skinned man as I formed another shadow arm with what little energy I could muster. Aizen attempted to cut me off, only to be blocked and stopped by the man in the white Gi. Joker made his way to the dropped energy weapon as Sheogorath started fighting the green-skinned man and Embryo. Voldemort casted a silent stunning spell at me, I noticed the movement of his wand and raised my shadow arm, creating a minor Drain Shield. It replenished my magic enough for me to increase my speed and use telekinesis to pull the Time Lord's weapon to me. Aizen was shocked and thrown into Joker and Embryo by the man I was now sure was the Thunder God, Raiden.

I was thrown back by a repulse charm from Voldemort, who sent a flurry of spells at me, one after another, trying to catch me off guard with the speed of his spells. One by one the spells were caught or deflected with my anti-magic fueling me from Voldemort's barrage. I stuck Aizen's sword to its sheathe when I saw it suddenly in his hand, before redirecting a stunner to the Time Lord who had returned to his normal form and was entering the room. I blasted the ground next to Joker, knocking him into Voldemort. The self-proclaimed Dark Lord growled and threw Joker off of him.

Sheogorath shifted into his female form and pulled out a black bow and a set of arrows. She fired one, which exploded at the green-skinned man's feet. Joker jumped to his feet and threw an explosive card at me. I raised an earth pillar and used a minor Drain Shield to intercept Voldemort's blasting curse, blocking both attacks. I stuck the sack and Notes in my inventory and went to the Shinigami Kings body. I saw a girl in a red and black Lolita dress appear before us with a flintlock rifle in hand. She raised her rifle and pulled the trigger. Not long after I heard a grunt. I turned around and saw Voldemort knocked away from me, dropping his wand. I grabbed it and went to the Shinigami King's body, the girl not far behind.

Embryo attempted to try and run me through with a sword, only to be blocked by Sheogorath carrying a red and white tower shield. I picked up the Shinigami King's body and activated the Scythe. I cut open a rift and heard a yell behind me. I swung the Scythe and bisected the green-skinned man at the waist before blasting him away from me with a Gale spell. Raiden sent Joker and Aizen across the room and teleported back, shocking Embryo as his body started fading. Sheogorath pushed me through the rift as Raiden faded and turned to me as I went through. "Give 'em Hell, Lad." With that he faded, and I closed the rift. I placed her on a table, vaguely aware of everyone shouting my name. Soon after, I collapsed, the last thing I remembered before blacking out being landing on a pair of soft, black and red covered breasts.


	6. Aftermath and the Invasion

**Third Person P.O.V. (20 minutes before Phoenix's Return):**

The Council and friends of Phoenix Mason were growing worried. Phoenix hadn't reported in, nor had they been able to track him at any time. After he had slipped through the portal, he had simply vanished. "I don't like this," said Sarah as she paced back and forth. "It's been over an hour now and nothing."

"What did you expect?" asked Tyra, nervously messing with her bangs and trying not to seem bothered. Despite how she acted, she'd grown to like the young man in the few months she'd known him and knowing he may be facing a Shinigami like Ultimate Kira didn't help things. "He never told us to send him to the exact time Misa shows up. He probably wouldn't have liked that either?"

"Why do you say that?" asked Kira. She was more visibly nervous than her twin.

"It's simple. We have him arrive at any other time, and he has no time to plan anything. We sent him an hour before Misa arrives so that he could form a decent plan of getting her out of there before the Mage or Ultimate Kira notice she's even there."

"He'll be fine," said Gareth. "Bastards as stubborn as they come. Even if they manage to ambush him, he'll aggravate them into making mistakes."

"What do you mean?" asked L.

"The boy is young, but smart when it comes down to it. I've noticed he's constantly saying things to aggravate people on a constant basis. Me, especially. He does this to mask what he's planning. One time a few weeks ago as he was giving a report in person, I lost my temper and tried to hit him. I didn't see he'd angled himself so that I'd trip on one of Gallio's defective gadgets and get stuck in instant rubber cement for 5 hours."

"That was pretty funny," said Denise as she and Tsukiko walked in.

"And where the hell have you two been?! I'd have thought you of all people would be more worried regarding Phoenix's safety."

"We are worried," said Tsukiko. "But we know he's coming back. He's got Gallio's tech, Sarah's magic, and Lucy's blessing after all."

"Plus," said Denise. "He's resourceful. He's not going to let anything h…" As she was speaking, she noticed a very familiar sight. A dimensional rift created by her scythe was being opened. When it was wide enough for someone to walk through, she and Tsukiko saw Phoenix on the other side. They both gasped, tears forming in their eyes as the others gaped at the rift. Phoenix was not looking well. Blood was flowing down his face form a wound on his head, his left leg was badly damaged, and his right arm was missing, severed at the shoulder. "No…" Phoenix had helped Misa Amane through the rift and both of his lovers noticed the look in his eyes.

"PHOENIX!" shouted Tsukiko as she charged for the rift. Soichiro held her back when he saw Phoenix closing it. Misa turned around as Phoenix closed the rift collapsed. Tsukiko broke from her father's grasp and went to the diva. "What happened back there?! What happened to him?! Tell me!" With each question, she shook the diva. Matsuda and Aizawa both pried her off the girl before she could hurt her. "Let me go! Tyra! Send me over there!"

"I can't. Something is blocking us! We can't get you there and we can't pull him out!"

"Gallio! You have to have a teleporter! Something! A recall button for the PIP boy! Anything!"

"No, I don't. Nothing that'll work."

"Lady's Fate! Can you…"

"Enough!" shouted Gareth, breaking Tsukiko out of her hysteria. "You have to trust him! He will make it out of this! We cannot do anything right now. Right now, he's most likely fighting for his life. Your presence there will only distract him and force him to divide his attention between the battle and protecting you. We don't know who he is facing. And it seems like Ms. Amane is in no condition to tell us anything at the moment given her shocked state of mind. You must be patient. Trust that he will be fine."

They waited for ten more minutes, trying to see if Phoenix was coming back. Suddenly, one of Gallio's devices started sounding. He rushed over and checked to see what was happening. "Tricky gods. They're more resilient than humans sometimes." He pulled a screen up to show the others. It showed three worlds flickering where once there was nothing. "Seems like they pulled a last-ditch effort to survive when their worlds were being undone. The gods are fighting to survive!"

Suddenly, Denise clutched her heart, feeling something. "Phoenix…" she turned to Tsukiko and smiled. "He's coming!"

"How do you know?"

"I can feel him." They waited another 5 minutes before another rift opened. They watched as a girl wearing a red and black Gothic Lolita dress and long black hair came through, smiling before aiming at the rift. "Wait… who are..?" Then they saw Phoenix on the other side of the rift, carrying a young girl and a unique wand. A man wearing a purple and orange suit pushed him through smiling. "Give 'em Hell, Lad." He said before fading away. Phoenix closed the rift, dropped Denise's scythe, placed the girl on a table and collapsed into the arms of the girl who arrived before him.

"Ooh. He already knows who to fall to already." She giggled as she held his head to her chest, shooting a cocky grin towards Tsukiko and Denise.

"Get your hands off him!" shouted Denise, fuming at the ears.

"Who even are you?" asked Tsukiko.

"Kurumi Tokisaki, you can just call me Kurumi." She smiled and aimed a flintlock pistol at his head.

"Don't you dare!" said Denise.

"Relax, he'll be fine." She fired a shot off. Instead of killing or even damaging him, the shot heal majority of his wounds, save the missing arm. She turned to Gallio. "You're the science boy right? Get to replacing the arm." She started walking away. "I'm going to find something to eat."

"Well," said Lucy. "She smells like trouble."

Gallio flinched when he felt twin glares of death aimed at his head from behind him.

"WHAT ARE YOU JUST SITTING THERE FOR?!" shouted Denise and Tsukiko. "FIX HIM!" Gallio sighed and snapped. A field activated and Denise and Tsukiko's shouting was muted to everyone else.

"Finally perfected the Silence Field. Too bad it never works with Gareth."

"Leave the jokes for later," said a tired looking Gareth. "Just fix up the boy and do it quickly. I think they've already figured out what you did. Gallio shrugged, not caring either way, and got to work.

* * *

 **Phoenix's P.O.V. (3 hours later):**

I woke up three hours after I had returned to the lab. My body didn't ache like it had before, the only pain I felt was on my head, a migraine starting to form. I sat up and tried rubbing my head to soothe it, only to remember what had happened before I blacked out. I could feel the Pacification Field was on around me, but the experience was worse than when I had died. I keeled over and hurled off the side of the bed I was lying in. I felt weak and knew my body was still replenishing it's magical reserves. I replayed the events back in my head, going over everything I faced. My thoughts lingered on several things, namely the girl who protected me from Voldemort before we escaped.

"That was Kurumi Tokisaki, wasn't it. Oh, perfect. One of my anime crushes saved my life. Hopefully I don't act like a fool."

"Too late," said a girl beside me. I turned and saw Kurumi leaning against the wall next to me. I jumped away and fell off the bed, missing where my bile was.

"I was speaking out loud wasn't I?"

"Yep." She smirked and climbed over the bed to me before straddling me. "Nice to know you have excellent taste." I blushed as she drew closer and licked my cheek. "Hmm. Delicious."

"Can't tell if Luck is working for or against me right now."

"Consider it for. I'm not going to treat you like any other boy I've met."

"Oh, good. I'd rather not be eaten right now." I glanced down, blushing harder. "Um, can I get up now?"

"Oh, fine." She rolled her eyes and slowly got up, showing me a flash of her panties as she did. I saw her smile and knew she did that on purpose. I watched as she walked seductively out of the room.

"Oh, Christ. I'm not sure I'm gonna handle her being here." I stood up and looked in a mirror. I noticed that my eyes now had flecks of gold lacing around the pure silver, my hair was completely white, and my torso now had a scar where my arm used to be. "That's going to take some getting used to." I formed a shadow arm and used it to check my inventory. In it, I saw the metal cylinder, Denise's scythe, my armor and mask, Voldemort's wand, the Time Lord's energy weapon, Sheogorath's sack, Mannimarco's head and staff, and the two Master Notes. "Everything's still here. That's good." I made my way out of the room and started walking towards the main Council Chamber. The first to see me was Denise. She ran to me and tackled me to the ground, sobbing. I held her close and stroked her hair, trying my best to calm her down. "It's ok, I'm ok."

She just continued to sob and hold onto me. I saw Tsukiko walking over and smiled, sadly. She smiled back, holding back tears as she hugged me as well. The three of us stayed like that for a moment before getting up. "How are you feeling, Phoenix?" asked Gareth.

"I just faced down 7 extremely powerful beings, and a crazy evil clown, lost an arm, got help from a Thunder God, a Mad God, and a crazy yandere girl who's fused with a cannibalistic angel. How do you think I feel?" My face darkened, and my eyes started glowing as I smiled viciously. "I've never felt more alive! I'm going to pay them back for every ounce of pain I just suffered!" I chuckled darkly and felt Denise shudder in pleasure, trying to hide it from everyone else. Across the room, I saw Kurumi licking her lips as she watched me.

"Oh, no. Not another one," said Tyra. She seemed to remember what I had promised Denise and looked at me suddenly, making me remember as well. I smiled and brought out Denise's scythe in it's necklace form. She stared at it wide-eyed before throwing her arms around my neck. I kissed her cheek and helped put it around her neck. Feeling bold, I kissed it lightly making her smile. She then turned to Tyra smiling sweetly, her eyes closed and a dark aura surrounding her. Tyra blanched and sunk in her seat slowly. Kira chuckled nervously for her sister as Gareth grunted indignantly.

"Phoenix, please tell us what exactly happened when you went there, Ms. Tokisaki has been…" he glanced at her and saw her smiling and eyeing me like a piece of meat. "…extremely unhelpful."

"Where should I start? From me finding Misa or the ambush that followed?"

"Ambush?"

"The Necromancer found us. As we thought, it was the King of Worms, Mannimarco." I began retelling everything that happened. From the arrival of Voldemort and the Joker, to arriving in the King's Throne Room, to the battle to claim the Notes and my escape.

"Wait," said Sarah. "there were two Notes?"

"Yes," said Gareth. "A Master Death Note and a Master Life Note. I never told anyone but Phoenix about the Master Life Note. Until now, I thought one of us a traitor."

"You thought one of us betrayed the Council?" asked Lucy.

"He had good reason to," I answered. Everyone stared at me as I defended Gareth. "The worlds that were undone were targeted specifically because they were affected directly by the influence of one or more of the Council, past and present. Only a member of the Council would know to target worlds like that. I take it by you admitting this, you know who was truly behind the breakout?"

"Yes. The man you described, the one in the black track suit, is a former Council member."

"He was the Manifestation of Science before my predecessor," said Gallio. "A Time Lord who calls himself…"

"The Master. I know." I replied. "I guessed who he was when the words Time Lord were spoken by the green guy.

"That was Zamasu," said Gareth. "He's a Kai."

"A Kai? From the Dragon Ball multiverse?"

"More specifically from the Super timeline."

"Never caught up with that. Please explain."

"He was the Supreme Kai in training for the Ninth Universe. He hates mortals and wants a Paradise created where no mortals exist."

"He does realize that's impossible right? Life always finds a way. Not to raise your ego."

"Ignoring the comment, he doesn't see it that way. Most likely, he managed to succeed in his plans in his original multiverse and found out about the Metaverse, that's when he most likely was placed in the Shadow Vault."

"As for the Master," said Gallio, "He's obviously the one who told the others what worlds to target."

"Oh, he was" said Kurumi. "He's just not the one in charge."

"How do you know this?"

"I was locked up in the Shadow Vault with them. Heard their plans to escape. Followed them out but didn't join them. Been trying to find a way to stop them. Followed Mannimarco to that world."

"So, it was you that we tracked to this world," I stated. She smiled at me, and I couldn't help smiling back. "Guess we owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Sorry I couldn't help till the end. They're too powerful to take on alone. And yet you did so anyways and held them off long enough to draw the attention of two surviving gods." She walked up to me and trailed a finger down my chest holding eye contact with me. I couldn't help blushing even as Tsukiko and Denise glared at us. "That's why I'm sticking around. I like you." She licked my cheek again, making me blush darker and the girls get angrier. She hugged my arm as I tried to get control of myself. I noticed her smiling smugly at the girls as they clung to my other arm glaring at her.

"Getting back on topic," I turned to Gareth. "I know what they called me now."

"What was it?"

"Verser." Suddenly, from hidden speakers around the building, a voice sounded.

"Activation phrase accepted. Chambers shift now in progress. Do not attempt to move." Everyone but Gareth was startled by the sudden noise and the shift of the building. The walls lifted up as rooms around the building shifted around before locking into a final position. Below me the floors shifted around, separating me from the girls as I was brought into the center of the Chamber, the Thrones of the Chamber moving into a circle around me. Around the chambers I saw a vast expanse, worlds beyond worlds seeing everything in the Metaverse all at once.

"What's going on, Gareth," I asked him. I saw he was the only one still remaining calm.

"This is the Citadel's true form. The true seat of the Metaverse. This will give our powers more strength. And give everyone here more protection in the days to come. I did plenty of research about the Citadel after the breakout. I wanted us to be safe. And I found out about something rather interesting. Every Council has been operating at half their intended power. But there was a phrase I was missing. One that couldn't be spoken by any of us until a mortal said it in these very chambers. 'Verser'. It's a phrase used in other Realities.

"Mortals saved from death and given the powers of the Metaverse. Versers. Beings of incredible power, and hunters of those who would damage the balance of Reality. In some versions of Reality, they were merely there on a whim. Created by the Multi or Omniverse just to see what would happen. In another, they're hunters of people who would see Reality torn asunder. As you will be. Just be sure that you don't let it go to your head. In the Realities where Versers were created on a whim, they gave rise to their opposites. Anti-Versers. Direct opposition to the Multiversers created in Reality VD. A nearby version of Reality where I got the idea to search for how to create one.

"It's become clear to me that as you are now, even with us helping you however we can, you will be no match for your new enemies. You need to get stronger, master the gifts we give you, perfect and create your own. You need to know how to fight. And you need to know everything about your powers."

"Gareth, what are you saying?"

"In order to stop our enemies, you must become someone else…" I shook my head.

"Don't…"

"…you must become something else…"

"Don't finish that line, or I will make your immortal life a living hell. I'll do it, just don't fucking finish that quote." I sighed. "So, what needs to happen?"

"First, you need to rest. As you are right now, the process would most likely kill you. Let me see the Life Note, boy." I pulled it out and handed it to him. I saw him write something down and pull up a screen. 10 worlds reappear from where they vanished because of the Shadow Vault escapees. I noticed the last two worlds didn't reform and remembered Raiden and Sheogorath, fighting along side me to make sure I left with the Notes. Then I remembered the Shinigami King and turned to Denise. She must've known what I was thinking because she looked at me and shook her head. I looked at my remaining hand as the truth hit me. I didn't save her, I couldn't. Despite everything I did, I failed to save her. I clenched my fist as anger welled through me.

"Those two worlds," said Gareth, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'm not sure they're completely gone. Those worlds belonged to two sets of gods. The Elder Gods for one, and the Nine Divines and Sixteen Daedric Lords for the other. The Elder Gods would've used the only things they could think of to use to save their world and it's realms."

"The Kamidogu," I said.

"Exactly, as for the gods of Nirn, their artifacts would've sufficed, whichever ones decided to work together that is."

"The sack!" I pulled the sack from my inventory and opened it. Inside I saw a few artifacts. I pulled out what seemed to be a key, a crystal star, a shining golden sword with a brilliant gem in it's pommel, a staff that was topped with a rose, a short silver staff, a spear, a black cuirass, and a black katana. I reached in again and pulled out three necklaces, one with a flower, one with what looks like a shield, and one that looks like a pair of wings. I reached in again and pulled out a net holding six glowing daggers.

"Nocturnal, Azura, Meridia, Sanguine, Sheogorath, Hircine, Boethiah, Mephala, Dibella, Mara, Kynerath. And the daggers must be the Kamidogu. The last remnants of their worlds and realms," said Denise. I touched the key and blinked as my mind traveled inside it. I looked around and found myself in a world full of shadows.

"Fitting, isn't it?" I turned around and saw a woman with a dress like the night sky with a slit from the top of her neck to just above her abdomen showing an ample amount of cleavage. On her shoulders were two ravens. "Not exactly the Evergloam, but it feels like home. So, who are you mortal?"

"Names Phoenix Mason. I'm the one Sheogorath trusted with safeguarding you artifact and in turn you. As you can tell," I gestured to my shadow arm. "I'm suffering for it." I chuckled. She floated over to me and examined my arm.

"I've never known a mortal to use shadows in such a way. I can teach you so much more."

"This is just shadow magic."

"I can give you true control over shadows, teach you how to turn them into weapons, how to hide in them properly, how to use them to their fullest extent, without even wasting a drop of mana."

"True Umbramancy?" I'm not powerful enough for that."

"I sense you soon will be, It is time for you to go, mortal. We will meet again soon." My mind was ejected from the Skeleton Key. I looked around and saw everyone looking at me.

"Well, Nocturnal seems fine. Her spirit is dwelling within the Skeleton Key. Said she's going to teach me how to better control the shadows."

"I could teach you that, better than that wannabe goddess!" said Denise. A shadow raised from the key behind her in the form of Nocturnal.

"Is that Denise I hear? The girl who thought herself a better Umbramancy than the goddess of shadows?" Instead of jumping like she would've done before, because she had her scythe back, she extended it and swung to aim it at the shadow.

"Wanna say that again bitch?!" Her face turned to shadow, her eyes turned red and her shadow seemed to have jagged teeth.

"Oh, got your scythe back did you, no more timid little girl afraid of the very shadow she controls?"

"I'll give you timid!" She raised her scythe to bring it down on the shadow. I kissed her, making her squeak in surprise and drop her shadow. When I pulled away, she was blushing darkly, steam coming from her ears.

"Oh, someone managed to steal your heart I see. I guess thievery is something I don't have to teach you, mortal."

"Please stop with the mortal thing. Just call me Phoenix."

"A mortal commanding me? You're a bold one."

"And you should go back to your artifact. Until we can get you a physical body, you need to conserve your energy."

"Denise's beau looking out for me?"

"Not just Denise's," said Tsukiko as she hugged my arm. Kurumi decided to be cute and hugged my other arm. Denise and Tsukiko growled and turned on her.

"NOT YOU!" they both shouted at her. They growled as she simply smiled and hugged my arm in between her breasts, making me blush.

"Oh, a bit of a harem I see…" I turned to her.

"Oh, please don't say…" Kurumi smiled and looked at Nocturnal's Shadow.

"Yep," she said. "Fair game!" They started yelling at her as she giggled. I just sighed.

"It seems you have three dangerous girls clinging to you. Perhaps my shadow training could help you in more than one way."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" I kissed both girls calming them down.

"She's saying I'm going to do something incredibly stupid and be in need of a way to hide from you three."

"And anyone else who joins. It seems Phoenix has a type." The shadow then receded back into the Skeleton Key. I sighed and looked at Gallio.

"Do you have a spare arm lying around?"

"No. The only one I do have is… very glitchy."

"How glitchy we talking?"

"Crushes everything it grabs."

"Yeesh."

"And don't ask me to build one. It's never been my forte."

"You could always just wait until the change," said Gareth. "It'll destroy your current body and reconstruct a new one." Gallio jumped at that.

"Uh… can we not destroy my only prototype?"

"Oh, relax," I told Gallio. "It's broken beyond all repair anyways. Why not make another one from scratch?"

"Do you know how long I worked on that?"

"No, nor do I care, considering I'm DOWN A FUCKING ARM!"

"…Point."

"Gareth, when can we get this done?"

"As soon as Sarah sees you've regained all of your magical reserves. Now that we've had the worlds restored, except for three. Sorry Tsukiko," said Gareth. "They made your world's undoing permanent. There's nothing we can do."

"I understand." She kissed me slowly and smiled. "Thank you for saving my family Phoenix. They'd have been gone forever if you hadn't brought them here."

"You're welcome. Oh, and speaking of the incident that made sure they were there in the first place, what happened?"

"I don't know myself. I just remember running to you and then a sharp pain, and then I was waking up in the hospital with you holding my hand."

"You were struck by lightning," said Sarah. I looked at her. "Your magic was leaking out of your wound, something I'm still trying to figure out, and channeled into the air above you. It struck both of you and formed something." She smiled and held up a mirror to Tsukiko. "I take it you haven't looked in a mirror lately?"

"No, haven't had the chance. It's been a stressful day. Why?"

"Take a look. I looked at her as she observed herself and noticed a few things. The white streaks in her hair I noticed earlier were expanding and her eyes now had flecks of gold and silver in them. As Tsukiko was stunned at how she looked, I noticed something in her eyes, a small bolt of lightning appeared in them. I conjured a small amount of lightning in my fingers and took her free hand in mine. Sarah saw what I was doing and smiled.

Instantly Tsukiko's lightning grew as it linked with my own. She looked at me and stood there taking in what had just happened. "Phoenix's little episode has created an incredible event. A Soul Link. Because lightning acted as your catalyst, linking your souls together you now have a small amount of lightning magic being powered by your soul."

"While Phoenix is gone," said Gareth. "Sarah will teach you how to control and expand it."

"Wait," said Tsukiko. "What do you mean 'while Phoenix is gone'?"

"Simply put, once Phoenix undergoes the ritual, two things will happen. The first is his current body will be destroyed. The second is that the Metaverse will send him away to perfect his powers. They will be too volatile, and the resulting excess of power will have a devastating effect on his mind. To protect you he needs to be sent away to train."

"How long will I be gone?"

"I don't know. That may be entirely up to you, or the Metaverse. It may be just a few weeks to a few months."

"Or, for all you know, it'll take millennia and I still won't even get close to mastering it. How much research have you actually done on this?"

"Not enough. It's too inconsistent. Some Versers mastered it in a year, others in thousands. There's no set amount of time. And from what I've seen of most Versers, they don't take things seriously at all."

"So, for all we know, they could be exaggerating as they explain how long it took them. Great," I sighed and sat down in a chair Sarah conjured. "Do we have anyway to track the escapees?"

"No," said Gallio. "I'm still not entirely sure who is cloaking them from us. I'm not sure if it's Embryo using some kind of tech, or Aizen using whatever powers he has at this point in time."

"I'll come up with something then. One of them mentioned that Versers hunt people like them for a living. I bet I may get a way to track them. They've suffered a major defeat. How long until they try something?"

"Too many conflicting personalities to make an estimate. How they came to start working together is beyond me."

"Marriage of convenience," said Kurumi as she sat in my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. "coupled with the Master telling them about the Council and all the powers you have. The Master thinks he is the leader, but there is one person who you haven't faced yet. Some blueish grey-skinned man with a ridiculous red headdress and a major superiority complex."

"Oh, I dodged a bullet there."

"You know him?"

"I know that description. A former Elder God named Shinnok." I noticed Kira and Tyra flinch but said nothing. L must've noticed as well as he glanced at me before keeping an eye on them. "Seriously powerful, definitely a better fighter than me. I'm untrained, I just relied on tricks that won't work a second time when I face them."

"What tricks?" asked Gallio.

"Anti-magic, Voldemort started using single shot spells rather than continuous streams after seeing Mannimarco. Massive illusions, creating meteor images in the sky coupled with a gravity spell to bring Ultimate Kira to my level so I could get the scythe. And…" I paused when I remembered Gallio still didn't know about the stolen item.

"Phoenix…" I sighed and pulled it out of my inventory. He looked at it. "What, did you throw it at someone? It doesn't work." Sarah chortled for half a second before covering it up. "Sarah… What do you know?"

"It works fine. Phoenix, give him a demonstration." I stood up, Kurumi still clinging to my neck. I removed her arms and pressed the activation button. It appeared like nothing happened.

"See? Broken" I faced Kurumi, took a step back, and swung up. Her dress split in half from the fringe up, revealing her black lace lingerie. She looked down at herself in surprise before grinning at me.

"Couldn't wait to get another glimpse I see."

"What the hell just happened," asked Gallio.

"See? It works fine. It's crystal is a Ghostfire crystal. The single most unique crystal from its multiverse."

"So," said Denise, trying to hide her nosebleed after seeing Kurumi's lingerie. "What is it?"

"It's a lightsaber," I said smiling hungrily. "An assassin's lightsaber. Completely silent, and invisible. It's wielder can sense it's blade and the blades length. I tested it out a while ago. It was like my magic was connecting me to the crystal, I instantly knew how long the blade was and when it was activated."

"Huh. So, it does work."

"Well, with that done," said Kurumi. "I need a new dress." She sauntered up to Denise, noticing her reaction, and gave her a seductive pleading look. "Would you mind if I borrowed yours?"

"I-I-I…"

"Huh," I said. "She's broken. That's new." Soon, Denise overheated and fainted. I caught her before she hit the ground.

"I'll take that as a yes." Kurumi started wandering away, trying to find Denise's room in the new layout. I remembered who else was in the room and looked at Sarah.

"Can you do me a favor and erase Matsuda's memories of what just happened?"

"Already done. Oh, and the families of the task force were brought here as you were recovering. The escapees hadn't left the world yet and we were able to save all of them."

"Good. Now they just need a place to live."

"Taken care of with the transformation," said Gareth. "Look down." I looked down and saw a planet down below, one bustling with life. "This is a replica world, all we need to do is send them all down and they can live their lives normally."

"How…"

"Something the Citadel can do now. This replica is only lacking the people here. If there are any changes they would like…"

"Can you bring back to people those two killed," asked L.

"No. Those souls have already passed on." L sighed and turned to us.

"If it weren't for the fact that you were needed to stop these criminals, I'd ask for both of you to be brought back to the new world to be locked in prison. But, all things considering, I only have one thing to ask. Kira, is never to return to this world."

"No problem of that happening," said Tsukiko. "I'm not going back, I'm staying to help Phoenix however I can."

"Tsukiko," said her sister. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Um…" said Misa, finally speaking after being silent for hours. "I'd like to stay as well. There's really nothing left for me down there."

"Mr. Mason," said Soichiro. I turned to him and saw his very sad expression. "Look after my daughter. I don't like the fact that she's doing this. But I learned when she was young to let her do what she wants." Tsukiko teared up and hugged her family one last time before Tyra sent them down. I turned to Raye and Naomi who didn't go down with them immediately.

"Phoenix, or whatever your name is," he said.

"Phoenix is fine. It's the name I chose for myself for this life I now live."

"Phoenix," said Naomi. "He's too angry to actually say it but thank you. You saved…" she placed a hand on her stomach and smiled slightly. "…all of us. You could've gone about it another way, but I think this was for the best. I don't know if we actually had a chance like this in other worlds. But we do here. And it's thanks to you." She smiled and kissed my cheek like a sister would a brother. "I don't know you well. I wish I did. And as for our child. I was thinking Phoenix Penber would work nicely. And no, Raye's not getting a choice." I chuckled as Raye grunted in annoyance.

"I'm still angry you lied to me."

"Oh, like the truth would've been better. 'Excuse me! I'm working for gods! I need your help in tracking down a mage that shouldn't be here!' That would've gone really well."

"You… asshole."

"Thank you, nice to see we're getting along again." He shook his head and clapped me on the back. "See you later Raye."

"Goodbye Phoenix. Don't be a stranger."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh no," said Naomi. "You took on 8 dangerous criminals more powerful than you and almost died. I actually want to see my fiancé make it to my wedding day." We chuckled as they headed to Tyra. Naomi turned around before they left. "Oh, before I forget. Speaking of weddings," she smiled at Tsukiko. "When can we expect an invitation?" Both of us blushed brightly as she laughed. "Bye now!" Tyra sent them down to the Replica world below.

"S-s-she's just joking," said Tsukiko. 'W-we're still not ready for m-marriage."

"Yeah, I know." I turned to her, my blush settling down. "Doesn't mean it's not nice to think about." Tsukiko's blush escalated. Soon she fainted, much like Denise did earlier and I was now holding both girls in my normal and shadow arm respectively. "I wish my telekinesis spell was stronger."

"Just use your shadow to carry them," said Sarah.

"Duh, why didn't… oh right, magic affects common sense." Sarah glared and Gallio laughed.

"He's got you there, Sarah."

"Shut up, pompous ass."

I smiled as they argued and picked up the girls. I carried them around and finally found Denise's room in the new layout. I made a map of the new layout and laid it on Denise's nightstand. That's when I noticed her shower running and glanced at it. I could see Kurumi plain as day, not even bothering to close the door. I blushed and tried walking away. I thought she hadn't noticed me and was about to make my way out, when a clone of her walked into the doorway and pushed me back into the room, gently.

"Now, now. What's your rush?"

"K-Kurumi. I was just…"

"You weren't planning on leaving me alone, were you?"

"I-I…" _'Dammit. Why did it have to be her of all people. I'm normally much more composed.'_ I thought to myself.

"Now," said the Kurumi behind me. I turned around and nearly died from the view. Kurumi was drying her hair and walking over to me with a sultry look on her face. "I believe earlier you mentioned I was your crush?"

"I don't recall…"

"Well, let's try and jog your memory." Said both Kurumi's. I blushed as the one behind me closed the door while the other sat me down on Denise's bed, careful not to disturb the two sleeping girls. I couldn't help but stammer as she straddled me, her clone sitting right behind me, both pushing their chests against me and giggling.

"Wait,"

"What is it?" They both asked.

"Earlier, you mentioned you were in the Shadow Vault. Does that mean you're a threat?"

"I was locked in the Shadow Vault," said the one behind me, nipping at my ear.

"But, we're not a threat," said the other undoing the buttons on my shirt. "I ate one too many boys from enough worlds that the Council at the time decided to lock me up." I blushed as she brought my hand to her breast, encouraging me to caress them however I liked.

"And you wanted to stop them because,"

"Because I won't let them work things in their favor, I'd most likely never get a good snack in any world."

"About that…"

"What?" She squealed in surprise and delight as I flipped her and pinned both of them under me, all without disturbing Denise and Tsukiko.

"No more of that. I mean it," I told her, a primal side of me taking control.

"And how do you plan on stopping me?" My only response was leaning down and kissing the clone as I gently caressed the originals breast. Her moans pressed me to continue on.

* * *

A few hours later, I'm sitting alone in the Council Meeting Chambers, holding the Spear of the Hunter and channel my mind into the artifact. Unlike with the Skeleton Key, I wasn't in there as a copy of my mortal form, I arrived as a quadrupedal animal in a vast forest. I looked around, unused to the increased senses of this form. I found a puddle and made my way towards it to see what I was.

I leapt back when I felt something coming towards me and saw arrows embed themselves in the ground where I was standing. "So, the prey is faster and more aware than most," said a voice among the trees. "This will make an interesting hunt indeed."

"Daedric Prince of the Hunt, I see your aim must not be as good as you think."

"You dare mock me, prey?"

"As long as your aim is as bad as it is, yes."

"Then perhaps a change in tactics is necessary." He went silent and I found myself overwhelmed by my senses. _'Need to adjust quickly. Can't fall for obvious traps, must look for a way to gain the advantage. He's a hunter, he's patient, I can't let him get the advantage.'_ I tried to catch a scent but realized that I wouldn't be able to identify his scent at this time. I growled softly in frustration and felt something on my back, a set of muscles I never had in my human form. _'Are those… wings? No time to test them out. Need to turn the tables on him.'_ I rushed into the thicket, hoping he would follow, and made random turns.

I found myself in a clearing and cursed mentally. _'Of course. Lucy's charm would not work at this time. Although, with no forest ceiling, perhaps my wings can come in handy.'_ I saw another puddle on the ground and went to it, cautious of any traps that may be nearby. I looked down and saw I was in the form of a black tiger with silver stripes, but no sign of any wings. _'That's odd, I thought I felt them. Unless, I have another form I can take.'_ I noticed the stripes and grinned, which looked like a menacing snarl. _'At least the color scheme is consistent, still, hard to blend in with these colors.'_ I felt a presence land behind me, I didn't turn around and just stood up straighter.

"Gotta say. Wasn't anticipating being hunted when I came in here."

"Then you are a fool. Coming into the temporary realm of the Prince of the Hunt. You should've known better."

"You didn't let me finish. I wasn't anticipating being hunted…" I concentrated and made a wall of earth erupt between us and concentrated on my second form. He shattered the wall with his spear and was surprised when he didn't find me where I was standing. I had already taken flight and was watching from above. "…Because I was anticipating hunting you down." He looked up and saw me in my second form, a black Japanese Imperial Dragon. I breathed fire in his general direction, he dodged and brought up a jagged bow. I watched as he knocked an arrow and aimed above me. I breathed fireballs around him, trapping him in a circle of flame and flew higher, hiding in the smoke that rose from it. I heard him loose the arrow and waited for whatever trick he planned with it. I felt the air change as clouds gathered overhead.

"You're tricks can't save you now! No dragon can fly in a storm!" I flew into the clouds and let the lightning hit me.

"Nice tactic! Won't work!" I flew towards him at full speed, lightning flowing on my body and trailing behind me. I stopped 50 feet short of the ground and flapped my wings at him, sending lightning at him at full speed. He blocked the full force of the lightning with his spear and dropped to a knee as I landed in front of him. "Yield."

"I submit. Two words I have never spoken before. Well done, Hunter. What is your name?"

"Phoenix Mason, Lord Hircine." I transformed into my human form, not noticing my eyes kept their reptilian shape and the enhanced sight.

"Armless, and still able to best me. Impressive. So, tell me Phoenix Mason. Why have you come here?"

"I need you to teach me."

"Teach you? What could I teach you?"

"To hunt. I am a novice, I'm only capable of cheap tricks that will only work once. I'm hunting down the men who undid your world. I need to learn everything I can and use every advantage I can think of. Soon I will come into a power that will help me, but I need help to hone that power."

"And you would ask us Princes to aid you in exchange for vengeance?"

"If you agree. If not, then I will ask someone else to help me. Perhaps the Yautja."

"Ah, the Yautja. Excellent hunters. You could learn much from them. And even more from me. Very well, Hunter. I shall help you. Who else has agreed to aid you?"

"Just you and Nocturnal so far."

"So, The Shadow has agreed to teach you her trade. You will be an excellent hunter, Phoenix Mason. Step forward." I did and dodged the strike with from his spear, catching it close to the tip, just below the knot of cloth. "Not as foolish as most mortals good. Remove your tunic, Hunter." I complied and watched as he held the spear to my chest before carving a symbol into it. I saw it was a flame with a branch coming out of it, resembling an elk's head. Next to it shadows formed the symbol of a raven, wings extending towards a black circle.

"Could've just given me a tattoo."

"That would not seal a pact with me. Your mortal body will merely have a mark similar to Nocturnal's on your chest. The same will happen with any of my brethren should they agree to help you. Sanguine will most likely help you. He jumps at the chance for another drinking buddy. Sheogorath…"

"Is Sheogorath. As unpredictable as he is mad, which says something."

"Those will be your easiest and hardest to convince respectively. Mephala and Boethiah, they may not align with you."

"Makes sense. Boethiah is the Prince of Treachery, and Mephala is the Prince of Secrets and Plots."

"And adultery. I smell other scents on you, Hunter. The scents of mates. If Mephala catches whiff of them, they will be her prime targets."

"I know. I'm avoiding those two for those reasons specifically. What about Azura and Meridia?"

"I do not know. Azura may help you, but her sphere is the direct opposite of Nocturnal. She might not help. Meridia is another matter. She cares not for mortals and even less for the undead."

"Should be no problems there. One of the men I'm hunting has split his soul into several pieces and inhabits a homunculus body, essentially making him worse than the undead."

"That would do the trick."

"Thank you, Master."

"Master? I rather like the sound of that. You may go. Oh, but before you do, I'll leave a few spear techniques to practice with. They will be one-handed techniques, so you should not have too much difficulty with them. Now go." With that, he ejected me from his artifact.

* * *

I opened my arm and looked at my chest. The two marks stood side by side. I felt the pull of both Ebony artifacts and ignored them. I grasped the Sanguine Rose next and was brought into a tavern from Skyrim. I ducked as a pitcher flew at my head and caught a mug that was thrown from a fight nearby. I grabbed a decanter and poured myself a drink as I sat next to a red-skinned man with horns who was betting on the fight.

"Gotta love the Nords. They love to fight, drink, fuck, and fight some more! I love Skyrim taverns!"

"Can't wait to visit a real one someday."

"Stick around for a while, mortal! Have some fun! Grab a mug and a girl and let loose!"

"Next time, Lord Sanguine. For now, I need your help."

"What would I be able to help with?"

"Making sure I don't turn into a boring soldier!"

"HAH! I'll drink to that!" We clanked our mugs and took a long swig. "You can hold you drink, mortal. And your not even a Nord."

"Wait until I take you to the Mass Effect world! The Krogan race there are more violent and have better drinks than the Nords!"

"This I've gotta see! Get me a body soon mortal! Then we'll talk!"

"Call me Phoenix!"

"Phoenix it is then!" We took another swig and I was ejected from the artifact again. A rose symbol appeared next the raven and I found Kurumi sitting in my lap looking at the symbols.

"Why a rose?"

"Don't ask. Sanguine does as he pleases." I saw her reaching for the Ebony Mail and snatched it from her grasp, only to be dragged into the artifact. "Ah crap!" I soon found myself in the middle of a massive battlefield with men and women of all races falling in battle. A part of me grew restless, wanting to join in the battle myself.

"Grab a weapon and join in the slaughter, said two voices behind me. I turned around and saw two people, one a man in full black plate armor with a red cape and carrying a bloody claymore, the other a woman with a massive snake coiled around her, both giving off the same deadly and deceitful aura.

"You're Boethiah."

"We both are," said the woman. She seemed to coil around me as she spoke. "My brother and I were both chosen to mantle Boethiah."

"So, you're both representing the faces of the same entity."

"Such is our method of deception," said the man. He hefted the claymore and lopped off a warrior's head. I watched and felt a bloodlust starting to grow in me.

"Give in," said the female Boethiah. "Your warrior instincts are screaming at you to fight. Why do you ignore them?"

"Because not every fiber of my being says to fight. I won't be a subject to your influence. You merely want to see me suffer."

"True." They both smiled evilly. I heard instructions in my head and listened. After confirming that my Soul Magic was protecting me from even deific deception as Sarah said, I listened. I held out my hand and into it flew a golden katana and a shield hooked onto my arm. "Finally giving in?"

"No. I'm merely doing as I please." I launch a fireball at the sister and charge the brother. He grins in anticipation, only to grunt in surprise as the serpent's fangs dug into his neck. I snapped and sent the claymore flying into his sister before using the golden katana to cut off his armor. I channel my magic drain magic into it and the katana and sever the connections between the artifacts the Daedric Prince.

* * *

I eject myself from the artifact and watch as the spirit of Boethiah is ejected as well and fades away.

"Did you just trick a god?" said Denise as she and Tsukiko watched me from where they were standing, completely ignoring Kurumi as she sat in my lap.

"I guess. There was a voice in my head that told me what to do. How to sever the connections of the artifacts from Boethiah."

"Artifacts?" asked Tsukiko. I looked at my hand and saw the golden katana in it. I held it up and examined it.

"Goldenbrand, and the Ebony Mail." I gave the katana to Kurumi who smiled and accepted.

"Wow, always wanted a golden katana." She rolled her eyes and set it aside.

"What have you been doing?" asked Denise.

"Getting the Daedric Princes to help me out." I showed my chest to them. Denise huffed as she saw Nocturnal's mark on me. "Figured I'd need as much help training as I could get."

"I don't know," said Tsukiko. "Are you sure we can trust them?"

"Yes. Though at varying degrees. Sheogorath… is Sheogorath. You can either trust him to help you, or you can trust him to screw you over. Boethiah and Mephala you can't trust at all." I smacked Kurumi's hand away from the Ebony Blade. "Sanguine is trustworthy. So is Hircine and Nocturnal. Meridia is questionable and Azura is likely to help." I pinched Kurumi's butt when she pouted, making her jump slightly and grin.

"Are you sure you want Sheogorath's help," asked Denise.

"The man, woman? Saved my life. I can at least try and be civil."

"It's just a fragment," said Kurumi. She looked at the smiling staff. "I can't sense more than a spark of godly energy coming from it. Not like the others." I sighed. Kurumi put her hand on my shoulder, feeling my sadness. "Let's ask the others for help."

" _ **Not just yet, Phoenix."**_

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You guys didn't hear that voice?"

"No," said Denise.

"We didn't hear anything," added Tsukiko.

"Maybe your going crazy," suggested Kurumi. I stared at her blankly before grabbing the Wabbajack and bonking her on the head. "Ow!"

"Don't call me crazy."

"Or what?" I aimed the staff at her and tried to activate it, only for my mind to be dragged in.

* * *

I looked around and saw a single man wearing black and red finery.

"You're Haskil right?"

"Indeed. I take it Lord Sheogorath is gone?"

"Sadly, yes. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. We were both aware of what might happen when he left to recruit Lord Raiden and attempt to get the artifacts out of harms way. He left me with one last instruction. To give you a gift. Unfortunately, this temporary realm will disappear as you leave. Your gift will appear when you return to your body. Goodbye, mortal."

* * *

I left the Wabbajack and found two rings shooting from the tip of the staff. "What," said Kurumi. "You'll ask me to marry you? Because if that's the case, the answers yes." She smiled and kissed me, causing Denise and Tsukiko to growl. After she pulled from the kiss, I examined the rings. I noticed they were a purple and gold ring respectively.

"These rings seem, different."

"There are souls in them," said Denise.

"Souls?"

"An Aureal, in the gold. And a Mazken in the purple."

"So, a Golden Saint and a Dark Seducer. The last remnants of the Shivering Isles." I felt the Wabbajack crumble to dust in my hand. "Goodbye, Sheogorath." I looked at Kurumi as she took a ring. She placed the purple ring on her finger and held it against the dress she borrowed from Denise.

"Matches, doesn't it?" I smiled and pulled her close before taking the ring off her finger.

"Don't mess with them. Sheogorath could've given us defective rings just because he was feeling like being an asshole."

"Spoilsport." She pouted and crossed her arms, pushing up her breasts and showing more of her cleavage.

"Not gonna work. Don't even try." She pouted for real this time and I ignored her. "As I was saying before I was interrupted. There was a voice. It was the same one that told me about how to use your scythe, Denise."

"It must've been the Metaverse," said Gallio behind me.

"How long have you been there?"

"About a minute. The Metaverse, by the way, has a tendency to speak up at random times. It's one of her quirks."

"The Metaverse is a she," asked Tsukiko, holding onto Denise's hand.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird for the Metaverse to be a woman."

" _ **Oh, very funny Gallio! I don't have to label myself! I just prefer to!"**_ I saw Gallio nonchalantly cleaning out his ear as the Metaverse screamed at him.

"Wait, I just heard that. How did I hear that?"

"Maybe your more attuned to the Metaverses energy than we thought."

" _ **He couldn't be more right. Phoenix Mason, we need to talk."**_

"Uh… ok. What do we need to talk…" instantly, my body was teleported above the Citadel. "…about?"

* * *

I looked around to see where I was. "Ok, can you please not do that while I'm talking. It's very disorienting."

"Duly noted. Hello, Phoenix Mason. It's nice to finally have a talk with you. You may call me Eternity."

"Nice to know all primordial beings are conceited to high hell." I felt something hit the back of my head and looked above me. "I know that was you!"

" _ **I don't know what you're talking about. It was just a random piece of debris."**_

"Uh huh. So, what did you want to talk about?"

" _ **You becoming a Verser."**_

"What about it?"

" _ **It already started."**_

"What do you mean?"

" _ **You were selected to become a Verser before the Council decided you were able to help them."**_

"Why?"

" _ **Because you are a rare soul. One capable of adapting to the hardiest of situations without major repercussions."**_

"So, you're telling me that I was chosen because my soul is a Deus ex Machina?"

" _ **Technically…"**_

"Better than nothing, I suppose. I have a few questions about it though."

" _ **Naturally. Ask away."**_

"Ok, first; what did Gallio see in those other worlds. What are those Versers like?"

" _ **Those Versers are… chaotic to say the least. The closest Reality with Versers has the most. About 8 or 9, last I counted. Their leader, a man who gave himself the name 'Duncan Verser' calls himself the 'King of the Multiversers'."**_

"Well, he seems arrogant."

" _ **Isolation will do that. He was the first in his Reality, spent thousands, if not millions, of years alone and unchecked. From his life of solitude and the choices he made, something came from it. An enemy that could match him in power and experience. He is known as 'The Antiverser'. And now, others like him have been created, one for each Multiverser. Their war is soon starting and may spill over to our own Reality. I'd rather that not happen without some form of protection."**_

"And that's where I come in, I take it?"

" _ **Yes. I'd rather have someone who could match their power and defend this Reality if it ever comes to that."**_

"Got it, just another weapon."

" _ **Not a weapon, a shield. Far superior to a blade or a spear or even a gun. You were chosen, not just to have these powers on a whim, but to defend these Worlds of ours from destruction. The Shadow Vault escapees were, admittedly, a monkey wrench in my plans. The Council somehow choosing you to hunt them down was surprising as well. My shield, forged into sword instead of its intended use, now being used as a hunter. And somehow, something more seems to protect you."**_

"Even a shield can be a weapon, Eternity. Next question; what can I do?"

" _ **An even better question. Simply put, you will have all of the powers of the Council, as well as a few others they do not have, within you. You will effectively be on a new level of power, when your full power is realized, of course."**_

"What do you mean?"

" _ **Endless possibilities. As you encounter more enemies, with even greater strengths than yours, your unique physiology will adapt you to them. This is the product of your Soul. Other Versers that come after you will not have the same potential. Each Verser embodies an aspect of existence. In the Multiverser Reality, They embody Chaos, Death, Time, Knowledge, Victory, Dreams, Power, and Desire. They all have powers borrowed from the worlds they've visited. And unique capabilities based on their aspect. Michael, the Aspect of Victory and Hope, can inspire allies and rally them together to fight. You will have your own unique capabilities when you become a Verser, and they will be just as powerful as the Multiversers'."**_

"Good to know. Third; who do I report to?"

" _ **No one, your actions are your own. Do what you will."**_

"I'm going to stop you right there. That seems like a horrible idea. Someone with powers like what you described cannot be allowed free reign. As far as I can tell, that's how the Antiverser was created in the first place. First rule, of any reality, there must always be a balance. Life and Death. Time and Space. Science and Magic. Luck and Fate. Where there is Darkness, Light will follow, and vice versa. How can you, the embodiment of existence, say I have total freedom?"

" _ **Not total freedom. There is one restriction and one discouragement."**_

"And those are?"

" _ **Travel to the Prime Worlds is forbidden. Their paths are already set. Be thankful the Nine Conquerors cannot enter the Prime Worlds. The furthest they can get is an Alpha Variant before the fates of their Prime counterparts starts affecting their minds."**_

"In other words, have fun go crazy, and fuck the consequences. That's a good fucking philosophy."

" _ **Says the man who just became best friends with a Sanguine Variant."**_

"Shut up. I need as much help as I can get, and nonstop fighting is bad for ones psyche. Sanguine would be able to help with that kind of situation."

" _ **You want restriction? Give yourself one. The only time I will call upon you is for when a matter requires your attention and immediate action. Other than that, it's your discretion. Your judgement and choices. The Council, and most importantly Gareth cannot give you orders, only requests. It's your power, do with it what you will."**_

"Fine. Then I guess that means change whatever the hell I want as well?"

" _ **Just try not to destroy the balance or any of my favorite Worlds, or there will be Hell to pay."**_

"Right. So, what was the discouragement?"

" _ **Do not try to enter another Reality. Your powers may not work how you want them to. Different Reality rules on how they work. Like your Soul Magic."**_

"In other words, go at your own discretion and be wary of the consequences of that action. Really wish there was more structure to this."

" _ **You really don't. Say your goodbyes for now. Tomorrow, you will become a Metaverser. You'll have power over time and space, but you'll still need a vehicle to navigate and make things easier. Luckily for you, the Citadel has a hangar bay with a multitude of vehicles you can borrow, until you build or claim one of your own. Now, I believe it's time for you to return. No doubt you'll want to spend more time with those femme fatale girls of yours."**_

* * *

"Now wait just a…" I was teleported back to the chambers and next to Kurumi who was rubbing her but from landing on the floor and a confused Denise and Tsukiko and Gallio standing off to the side. "…damn minute." I looked around, seeing I was back in the Meeting Chamber. "Of all the… If she keeps doing that. I'm gonna be extremely annoyed."

"Where'd you go?" asked Kurumi after she smacked me for dropping her.

"Had a talk with Eternity, the Metaverse. She was telling me what to expect when I go through with this." I looked at Gallio. "Have you found the Hangar bay?"

"Yeah, found it an hour ago while exploring, It's down the hall behind me and on the left, right in front of what appears to be an Armory." Before he could even finish saying the word Armory, both me and Denise bolted heading for the door on the right. We stopped as we saw the massive selection of weapons of all types from every world. I took Denise's hand and turned to her.

"This is Heaven isn't it?"

"I'd have to say yes!" We both charged into the room, browsing the various, swords, maces, armor, shields, guns and other weaponry. I found a scythe that seemed to be an exact copy of Denise's I reached for it and felt it connect itself to my soul. It morphed into a shadow and appeared as a tattoo on my wrist, just below the PIP boy. I smirked, feeling it more on my soul than on my physical body. I then heard a hum and turned around. I saw a sword in a display case that seemed to be completely made of shadow and lightning, the two opposing forces seemed to be at war with each other in the blade of the weapon. I noticed a jewel in the pommel of the blade that seemed to glow like flames. As I reached for it a hand pulled me away from it. I turned and saw Kurumi. She shook her head and looked at the sword.

"It's waiting. It has a soul. I can feel it. You're not ready for it, and it's not ready for you." She took my hand and guided it to her chest, resting it on her heart, not just her breast. I looked into her crimson eye as I felt her heartbeat. I felt as our hearts sync with each other and her golden clock eye turn into a second crimson eye. "Trust me." I nodded and laced my fingers between hers.

"I will." She guided me to a flintlock rifle and smiled. "You know, besides Denise, you're the only one of the three of you not affected by time."

"You know that's not true. I need to keep eating souls to store up time and keep my powers."

"That's why I want you to consume part of my soul. It's adaptable, it'll help you."

"Who knows what that'll do when you change!"

"And there's the genuine concern."

"Damn that Shido," she said as she pouted and stared at the ground. "because of him, now I'm concerned for others." I pat her head, making her blush.

"Is that really a bad thing?"

"I've only had one goal since becoming a spirit, human lives were considered cattle to me for so long. Then I met Shido and he infected me with his outlook. I never got to kill the First Spirit, I never had enough power to use the 12th bullet. That's why I went to other worlds, to try and gain more power. Then I got caught. I don't even know how long I was in there, I just know that most of my time is up."

"Then let me help you. I know you're a good person, yes, you have an extreme personality, but you are a good person. I know it." She looked me in the eyes again, once she determined my words were genuine, she kissed me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I kissed her back and held her close. That's when something happened that I never considered. Kurumi's spirit energy and my soul mixed and combined with each other. She gasped as she looked in my eyes. I noticed her left eye returned to it's clock appearance and her right eye was now ringed with silver.

"Your eyes…"

"What about them?" She turned me to a mirror and I noticed my eyes were an inverted version of hers. My right eye was a silver clock and my left eye was silver ringed with red.

"Now you have to get the rifle. It's only fair you use my fighting style, since you copied my eyes."

"One condition."

"And what's that?"

"You come with me."

"And the others?"

"We can't go," said Denise behind me. We both turned to her and saw her smiling sadly. "I have to stay in the Citadel, I can't travel through time with Phoenix to make sure he's ok. I know that's how you planned on doing your training. And Tsukiko can't live long enough to go with him. You're our only" option. She walked up to us and took Kurumi's hand in hers. "I know we don't get along. But all three of us have one thing in common." She took Kurumi's hand and placed it on my heart. "Phoenix." She smiled at her and I turned to a corner.

"Do you feel the same way, Tsukiko?" She walked around the corner, hugging her arm nervously.

"How did you know I was there?"

"I knew you couldn't be far behind." I held out my arm to her and she stepped close. "How do you feel about this?"

"I want to go with you. But I know I'm not able to. I want to live a long life with you. Not live till I'm old and watch as you have to endure me aging while you train and stay young." She turned to Kurumi and glared. "And you. You better look after him. If something happens to him I'm killing you."

"Oh," said Kurumi smiling smugly. "Worried for your Bird Brain?" Tsukiko glared as Kurumi giggled. "Relax. I know you care for him. Truth is, so do I. And if anything happened to him while I was around, you wouldn't have to kill me." I heard her mutter under her breath about killing herself because of it. I took her hand and squeezed it lightly. I shook my head slightly when I caught her eye. I turned to Tsukiko.

"You have nothing to worry about. Once my training begins I'm planning on staying away from the Nine Conquerors radar."

"Nine Conquerors," asked Kurumi skeptically.

"Not my name for them. I'd rather name them something humiliating, not something that sounds badass."

" _ **WE CAN'T ALL BE GREAT WITH NAMES!"**_ shouted Eternity. Both me and Denise covered our ears from her shouting. Soon Gareth runs in, covering his ears.

"Stop getting her mad! Our minds can't take her shouting!" Gallio walked in soon after, wearing a headset and seemingly not affected by Eternity's shouting. He placed a weapon in a display case and turned around.

"Fucking cheater!" I shouted after him. He merely waved behind him and kept walking. Gareth seemed to finally figure out what room we were in and blanched.

"Oh no," he turned to me and Denise. "You found the Armory already?! I hadn't even locked it up yet!"

"What can I say," I said shrugging and smirking. "we sniff out a weapon and it's fair game."

"Dammit. There goes any trace of peace and quiet. How did you find this place anyways?!"

"Gallio pointed us here when telling us where the Hangar Bay was. Speaking of which." I grabbed two more weapons on the way out before making my way to the opposite side of the hall. The room I found was dark, I couldn't even see past a few feet. "Light please!" As if waiting for a command, lights started coming on from the entrance all the way to the other side of the room. "Voila…" I stood there, amazed as I saw the contents of the Hangar Bay. Several ships, all recognizable to anyone familiar with geek culture. From both versions of the _Normandy_ , to the USS _Enterprise_ , from the _Millennium Falcon_ , to the UNSC _Infinity._ They were all here.

My eyes were soon drawn to a ship I'd recognize anywhere. A dark grey heavily modified Imperial transport from the Star Wars Legends multiverse. The personal vehicle for Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice, Galen Marek, aka Starkiller. The _Rogue Shadow_. Equipped with a hyperdrive system, shields, advanced sensor systems, a cloaking device, and laser cannons for combat scenarios. Perfect for staying under the radar and avoiding. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,350 km/h in atmospheric conditions and measuring in at 65 meters.

"Beautiful." I placed my hand on it and activated its ramp I climbed aboard and looked around the cabin. I saw it was exactly how it looked in the game, with the same layout as well. I found the med bay, common area, cargo hold, and cockpit. I smiled as I explored the layout of my favorite ship. "Bit of a spartan look, but give it a few personal touches, and it'll be perfect." I finally found the training room and stopped. I saw a platform with two devices on it in the middle of the room. I went over to it and found a note.

* * *

 _Saw you were lacking in an A.I. for your PIP boy and decided to give you one I think you'll enjoy. Also, we both know you have no piloting skills, it's not something you can pick up just by reading after all. I suggest you learn to pilot multiple styles of vehicles before even taking on your combat training. Until then, a second A.I. for the ship to help you until you get the hang of it. And yes, I'm always watching._

 _With love, Eternity._

* * *

"Oh great, not gonna be looking over my shoulder after reading that." I picked up the device compatible with the PIP boy (it was labeled) and plugged it in using a shadow arm. "Can't wait until I have a proper arm again." I looked at the PIP boy as a new screen popped up.

 **New A.I. detected. Adjusting parameters. Syncing with user Mason, Phoenix. Sync complete. Now accessing hard light projector interface. PipBoy and Hunter armor prototype now operating at 100% efficiency. Cortana now awakening.**

"Did I read that correctly?"

"Yes, you did," said a familiar voice. I watched as my holo-projector showed an image of a woman with blue skintight body suit and short black hair. "So, your my new handler. Phoenix Mason right?"

"Y-yeah. Wow. You're the Cortana. The one always watching John 117's back."

"And now, I'll be watching yours. In my world, John died in the cryo-chamber, due to a malfunction. I was about to reach my rampancy age when Eternity saved me. Fixed me up so that I don't have that problem and sent me here. I think I've been in this room for about 3 hours."

"Wow guess she has been watching. Now I'm concerned."

"She doesn't watch all the time, I hope. Then again, she is an immortal being with nothing better to do."

"Not helping Cortana."

"Sorry." I looked at the second A.I. device.

"Wonder who's in here."

"Don't know." She turned to me, looking slightly betrayed. "But do you need another A.I.? You have me."

"Do you know how to pilot an Imperial transport vessel from the Galactic Empire of the Star Wars Legends Multiverse, which has completely different engineering than those used by the UNSC and different source of energy than the nuclear-powered cores of the UNSC frigates?"

"…Admittedly no. I'm just used to doing everything that doesn't involve fighting."

"Well, get used to having a more active role in things from now on. You now have access to a hard light holo-projector. I expect you to learn combat programs as well as help me with my equipment. Me and Kurumi will need as much help with my training as we can get."

"Kurumi?"

"That would be me," said Kurumi as she walked into the training room. I saw she was once again wearing her Spirit Dress, more clearly showing her eyes. "Nice to meet you, computer girl."

"My name is Cortana."

"She doesn't care. She'll try and get under your skin in every form she knows how. Pardon the expression."

"I think Kurumi here will find I'm not someone she can aggravate easily."

"Challenge accepted then, Computer Girl."

"Lay off, Kurumi. I'd rather not have Cortana angry with us before we even start."

"Fine, I'll play nice, for now at least."

"Thank you. Now, I need to plug in the second A.I. and hope it knows how to fly this ship." I went to the cockpit and found the A.I. interface. I plugged in the A.I. and waited. I saw a holo-projector lower from a hidden panel in the ceiling and watched as a female face appeared hovering in the air.

"I think you'll find I'm more than capable of piloting this and any craft in the Multiverse. I was created to be a user-friendly Artificial Intelligence by the Time Masters."

"You're Gideon. The Legends A.I."

"Not this version of me. I was created to work directly with any Versers Eternity created, commissioned by her specifically."

"Convenient. Though I guess I should be used to that by now. Pleasure to meet you Gideon. My name is Phoenix Mason. The A.I. synced with my PipBoy is Cortana. And the wonderful young woman next to me," I wrapped my arm around Kurumi's waist, making her giggle. "Is Kurumi Tokisaki. She'll be coming along with us on this training mission."

"A pleasure to meet you all. I'm sure we'll get along fairly well."

"I look forward to working with both of you. For now, I need to say goodbye to my other girls before we set out."

"You know I'm coming with, right?" asked Cortana.

"Yes, I'm well aware that since the PipBoy doesn't come off, and your programing is in the PipBoy, that you will follow me where ever I go. I knew I should've asked Gallio to make the projector detachable."

"Just fix it yourself when you know how," said Cortana. "You do know you will have the same skills as the Council, right?"

"No, because Eternity decided not to give me the full extent of my capabilities. Thank you for telling me, Cortana." She nodded, smiling as we walked to Denise's room. I smiled at them. "Hey." They turned to me and smiled sadly. I hugged both of them, Cortana and Kurumi staying off to the side. "I'm going to miss both of you."

"How long will you be gone?" asked Tsukiko.

"Depends on what I need to learn." I smiled at her. "I promise you, we won't be gone longer than we need to be. You two will be at the forefront of my mind the whole time." I kissed her and then Denise.

"I'll just be in the PipBoy," said Cortana. She disappeared, and I turned to them. I couldn't say anything as Tsukiko pushed me onto the bed. She climbed on top of me, Denise right beside her.

"Before you go," said Tsukiko. She leaned down close to me and smiled. "I just remembered something I promised a month ago." She turned to Denise. "Trap both of them with your shadows please Denise." Denise smiled, and her shadow grabbed both me and Kurumi, dragging her to the bed beside me as Tsukiko went and closed the door. I looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. "I believe I promised to torture you for what you did during my 'abduction'."

I blushed as they stripped both me and Kurumi. "Why am I part of this," she asked, clearly turned on by the situation if the look in her eyes was any indication.

"Because we know you'd free him just to mess with us," said Tsukiko. I watched as she kissed Denise, and they started slowly stripping each other.

"What I did wasn't nearly as bad as this, Tsukiko," I said as I tried staying calm. She merely smirked as she trailed her tongue down Denise's body. "This is so not fair."

"At least I'm not using stimulation magic, cheater." I chuckled as she gave me a small glare before Denise kissed her again. I glanced at Kurumi and saw her glance above them smiling. I looked and saw one of her clones above them watching and playing with herself.

' _You knew they'd pull something like this, didn't you?'_

' _Maybe, wait. Did I just hear you in my mind?'_

' _I think it's just because your power mixed with my soul. We're connected now.'_

' _Might be because of my ninth bullet, when we get out of here, try using the sixth bullet then the eighth bullet.'_

' _Way ahead of you.'_ She looked up and saw a clone of me join her own clone. I smiled as we shared the clones memories. She smiled back before we turned our gaze to Denise and Tsukiko again.

' _This will be fun.'_ She smiled as the girls finally crawled to us.

* * *

The next day, I was packing my things as Sarah approached me. "What's up."

"As soon as you get the chance, make a log of your Soul Magic. Since you and Kurumi now apparently share a soul, I want to know how that affects your magic. Also," she held out two wands to me. I recognized one as her Soul Activation wand, the other being the wand I took from Voldemort. "I want you to have these."

"The second wand, is that?"

"Yes, it is. It's chosen you as it's current master. Try not to lose it, it's a powerful artifact. Also, Denise will be very upset if you do."

"It's an Elder Wand, isn't it?"

"Yep. One of the Hallows. Beauty of this particular Hallow is it isn't bound to just one set. Find a compatible Stone and Cloak, and you'll gain unique abilities only the original Death possessed. You'll become his Shadow."

"Shadow of Death, huh? Now that's a title."

"Don't let it get to your head."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Sis."

"Sis?"

"Yeah. Since I've been here, I've seen you as sort of my older sister."

"No crack about this form looking younger than you?"

"No. Don't want to die just yet. You're the only one of the Council, besides Denise, that sees me as an equal despite what I am."

"What about Gallio, Lucy, or the Fates?"

"Gallio just sees me as a lab monkey, said it so himself a few weeks ago. Lucy only sees me as her next charm, if you catch the meaning. And the Fates don't seem to acknowledge anything other than the lives of mortals. None of them seem to have the same, if meager, respect as you. Guess it takes being the smaller girl to be the bigger person." She seemed to give it some thought.

"Hmph," she smiled as she stood up straighter. "I like that. Sarah onee-sama. Got a nice ring to it."

"Don't let it get to your head." We smiled at each other as I walked out the door. "I'll be sure to give your everything on your new branch of magic, Sis."

"You better, or I'm hunting you down!" She said, following me. We got to the Meeting Chamber and found a woman there with long flowing, blue hair, and light blue robes. I looked between her and Sarah, and grinned.

"Hey, look sis, It's you if you ever g…" I dropped to the ground as Sarah used a shock spell on… a very sensitive region of my body.

"That's for even starting to say that sentence." She bowed to the woman and went to her throne. After recovering, very slowly, I looked at the woman.

"Eternity, I take it?"

" _ **The very same,"**_ she said. I stood up and made my way to where her form was.

"So, what happens next?"

* * *

 **Third Person P.O.V.:**

As Phoenix and the Council prepared for him to become a Verser, a lone figure was stealthily making it's way through the halls. They were seemingly maneuvering at random but had a precise location they were trying to reach. They found the armory and maneuvered the shadow sword Phoenix was looking at earlier into a sheathe before closing and locking down the room and the adjacent Hangar. Next they found Gallio's lab and rummaged through his most recent inventions before leaving and locking down that room as well. Soon they found the Council Meeting Chamber and watched as Eternity made her presence known to the Council members present. Keeping their presence concealed, they made their way over to Phoenix as he was about to make a joke about the Manifestation of Time, only to cover his groin in extreme pain and collapse to the ground. Holding back a laugh, they planted the device they 'borrowed' into his pocket while he was distracted.

Checking their internal H.U.D., the figure climbed up to a corner of the room and hid in the shadows, deactivating their active camouflage and sat there, waiting. _'I wish I could stop this, but things need to continue on this path.'_ They looked at the girls beside the exit and held back a fit of tears. _'I'm sorry!'_

Phoenix stood next to Eternity and looked at the Primordial Entity. "So, what happens next?"

" _ **Next, the Council will give a small percentage of their power to you. Your body will focus the small amount and channel it into your soul. This would be easier if you were freshly dead but…"**_

"Lay off," said Phoenix as he stood between Eternity and Denise instinctively. "Do not blame her for anything."

" _ **Relax, Child. I'm not blaming anything. I'm merely cursing the timing of all of this. Once all of the members have transferred their power to you, I will continue to destroy your body, I don't want to hear backtalk Gallio, and your soul will then begin to absorb the power fully before I send my own power into you. You will then be able to use all of the powers at will. Should something go wrong, the Fate Note will be our last resort to make sure you survive."**_

"Oh, that's reassuring. Ok, let's get this over with." Phoenix watched as Gallio removed the PipBoy to make sure it remains intact and active. All of the Council members then channeled their power into Phoenix. His body began to glow, and he floated off the ground. The figure noticed the girl with the red eye begin to glow slightly as well, barely noticeable if one didn't know what to look for, and the figure did. They smiled until they noticed the time and sighed internally. _'Show time. I really wish this didn't have to happen.'_

Phoenix looked at Eternity and nodded. "Ok, I'm ready."

" _ **Good, now let's…"**_ an explosion rocked the entire Citadel interrupting Eternity. _**"What?! How?!"**_

"What's going on?!" Shouted Tsukiko Yagami.

"Surprise!" shouted a voice from behind her. Tsukiko turned around and stumbled after a gunshot deafened everyone in the hall. Stepping into the room was the maniacally laughing Joker, holding a smoking gun. He laughed as Tsukiko collapsed, blood pooling beneath her.

"TSUKIKO!" shouted Phoenix. Joker laughed harder as he aimed the gun at her head.

"Don't try anything, boy, or her brains will be added to this halls drab decorations! Come on in gentlemen! The shows about to begin." Behind Joker, the rest of the Conquerors walked in, detaining the Council and surrounding Phoenix and Eternity.

"Hello Eternity," said the Master. He smiled darkly at both of them. "Been a long time!"

" _ **You would do well to speak to me with respect, Gallifreyan!"**_

"Silence, 'Eternity'," said a voice in the hall. Walking into the chamber was a man with blue-grey skin, a red headdress, and a sinister sneer on his face. "If you think we'll just sit around and let you create a weapon to kill us, then you are a fool. We will dispose of him, and then we will usurp your little Council and replace them with ourselves! My Master will be revived, and we shall rule as kings and gods!"

"Over my dead body!" Shouted Phoenix.

"Silly boy," said Joker. He raised the gun to aim at him. The other Conquerors gathered energy to aim at him as well. "That's the plan! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The Conquerors fired on Phoenix and his body was destroyed along with the portion of the Citadel behind him.

"PHOENIX!" screamed two of his lovers. The only seemingly calm one was Kurumi as she gripped her heart, realizing what she was feeling. She hid her look of triumph with a scowl directed towards the Conquerors. Denise screamed as her aura turned black and engulfed her body. She summoned her scythe and swung at the Conquerors. Shinnok and Zamasu merely grabbed the blade and redirected it back at her. It hit her in the chest, cutting through her aura and shadow and creating a gash in her stomach, she fell to the ground.

"N-no," said Tsukiko. She reached for her friend and lover. "Denise."

"What a waste," said Zamasu. "Falling for a mortal. How could you fall so low?" He knelt beside her form. "You are a god. Mortals are beneath you." He kicked her side. "Stupid bitch."

"Leave her alone!" said Kurumi. She summoned her musket and fired at the Kai, sending him backwards and into Joker, knocking them away from the girls.

"Ah," said Shinnok. "Young Miss Tokisaki. Fallen in with this riffraff have we?" The Conquerors all turned to the angel girl. "Zamasu, deal with the girl."

"With pleasure." He began walking to her. She stood her ground, not showing an ounce of fear. "Putting on a brave face. Commendable. You shall die with some honor, witch."

"Don't I get any last words?" she asked as the figure made it's way to one of the hidden speakers and began tinkering with it, catching Gallio's gaze briefly. _'Did he survive somehow? Is that him now? No, the form is too small.'_

"No," said Zamasu. "You will die now. Not after trying to distract us with your pitiful words for something to happen. Just die with dignity."

"Humor the girl Zami! You've got to do these things a certain way! Otherwise there's no fun in it!"

"Just do as the clown says," said Shinnok. "I'd rather he stop his incessant babbling."

"Fine. Speak your peace, witch."

"It's more of a taunt, than a final farewell, I'm afraid. So sorry about that, but I find this funny!" She started laughing, making the Joker frown.

"And just what is so funny?!" shouted Zamasu.

"The fact that you think you'll win. Fact of the matter is, you're fucked. Because there's one thing you don't know about."

"What is that," asked Shinnok, who was looking uneasy. Something didn't feel right to him.

"You think you've killed Phoenix. You think you've gotten rid of the man who beat you so effortlessly! Well you're wrong! He's not dead! Want to know how I know?!" She smiled as she showed them here eyes more clearly. "Because our souls are linked! And I'm still here! Phoenix is alive, and he is going to kick your…" a thud interrupted her. Everyone turned to a closed door as more thuds sounded. The figure by the speaker smiled and pulled up a barely noticeable screen on her wrist. _'Showtime, bitches!'_ They pressed a button as the door was kicked in.

'Bitch' by Meredith Brooks started playing at the same time, revealing a man standing in front of a bright light, masked by shadow and wielding a flintlock in one hand and a long sword in the other. He took a few steps forward before hearing the song. His shoulders sagged, and the light shut off, revealing a slightly older looking Phoenix, with scars and tattoos lining his body. "Alma!"

"What?!" said the now named Alma at the speaker.

"I said track seven!"

"This is track seven!"

"On my playlist!"

"Oh! See that makes more sense! Want me to try again?!"

"Alright! Back to one!" he then turned to the Conquerors, a smile on his lips. "If you guys could look confused and scared when I come back in that'd be great. Oh, but first." He sped over to Tsukiko and Denise and healed them both instantly after kissing them.

"What the…" said Joker. "Hey! You're supposed to be dead! How are you…"

"Ah bup, bup," said Alma. "Leave all questions and exclamations until the end!" She smiled as she set up another song. "Please enjoy the show!" Phoenix kicked the door in again as 'Low of Solipsism' began playing. Phoenix walked in again only to stop once more.

"Nope! Nope! It's ruined! Cut the music!" Alma stopped the music, annoyed.

"What was wrong now?!"

"The moment's gone! All that planning ruined by a simple miscommunication! Dammit!"

"Sorry! But it's your fault for not being specific about the playlist!"

"You know I meant my own playlist!" The Conquerors didn't know what to think. The boy they had just destroyed was standing in front of them, intact and arguing with a little girl, not even caring they were right in front of them. _'It's like we don't even matter to them.'_ Thought Shinnok. _'Do they not even consider us a threat?! What is going on?!'_

"We've been over this. Step 1; I look like a badass. Step 2; make them sweat, and fearful. Step 3; make it seem like their winning. Step 4; you jump in and mop them up! Now we gotta skip step one and go to two!"

"Sorry I'm not feeding your ego, Dad!"

"Dad?!" exclaimed the girls.

"You know what, we'll finish this later! For now, go to _my_ playlist, and set up track 3!"

"On it!"

"What are we a Joke?!" asked Shinnok, finally snapping out of his stupor, trying to boost his nerves.

"Well," said Alma. "You do have a clown working with you. So… Yeah!"

"Alma, what am I always saying?"

"Less sass, more kicking ass!"

"That's my girl!" Phoenix sheathed his sword, and pulled up a digital mainframe, more advanced than Gallio's holo-screen, and pulled out a couple of chains with kunai at the end of them. "Now, as my sensei likes to say." He looked at the Conquerors, his eyes turning white and his voice sounding more demonic. **"Get over here!"**


	7. Beginning of a Legendary Adventure

**Third Person P.O.V.:**

* * *

( **Start Can't Hold Us** )

Phoenix started spinning his chains as Alma began playing the song. Phoenix launched several darts hidden in the kunai with a spell at the Conquerors, hitting Joker in the chest and Zamasu in the arm before they scattered. Aizen charged at him, determined to end this fight quickly, only to receive multiple quick but powerful punches. The last punch sent him flying into Gareth's throne, breaking it. Shinnok tried to fight Phoenix alongside Zamasu, syncing their punches and trying to give him no time to dodge.

Phoenix merely brushed their attacks to the side with both arms before switching to one arm to yawn. He spotted Voldemort going to kill one of the girls and sighed. "Alma, we got a stray!" He sweep kicked the two gods and launched one of his kunai at Embryo catching him in the chest and pulling the would-be god towards him. Alma smirked and jumped down from her perch on the speaker, humming along with the song, and blocking Voldemort's attacks while stomping on Joker's unconscious body, breaking a few ribs. Voldemort growled.

"I will not be bested by a child!"

"Why not," she said smirking. "You already lost to a baby! A child should be a fucking step up!"

"Alma! Language!" shouted Phoenix as he deflected blasts from a sonic rifle the Master was carrying.

"Sorry!" She continued protecting the girls as their shadows untied the Council members. Phoenix launched Embryo and Shinnok straight up into the air and knocked them into opposite walls. Zamasu went to aid Voldemort and was launching energy blasts at the girl. She smirked as the blasts of energy from the mage and god were halted in midair and redirected back at them. Aizen stood alone trying to track Phoenix who started circling him at high speeds. Alma pulled out to khali sticks and started going through a difficult kata, landing strikes on Voldemort, Zamasu being distracted by blasts of plasma coming from Gallio who was finally free.

"How did you get out?!" Hearing a laugh, Zamasu turned and saw the shadows of his enemies laughing and acting like children, mocking him. He growled, trying to swat them away, but was distracted long enough for a plasma bolt to hit his eyes. "Gah! You dare..!?" Kurumi shot him with her Seventh Bullet and went to Denise.

"Zafkiel! Fourth Bullet Dalet!" She fired the bullet at Denise and rewound her time to just before she got hit. Denise's Shadow Form went up instantly and she snapped her eyes open, enraged. Phoenix smiled and summoned his own Shadow Form as Embryo sent solid holograms to attack her. Scythe in hand, Phoenix and Denise both countered and defeated the hordes of copies Embryo was sending to them. The Master, seeing no way he could win, let alone survive this fight, pressed a button on a device I his jacket and teleported away.

"Coward!" Shouted Shinnok. Voldemort was thrown over his head and towards Phoenix by Alma. Seeing him coming, Phoenix smiled his evil silver smile and turned human again.

"Payback time! _Sectum Sempra!_ " The severing charm hit the Dark Lord in his right arm, severing it from his body. Voldemort screamed in pain, the remnants of his soul trying to leave the damaged homunculus body and failing. "Benefits of Soul Mastery. I can compound spells. You're forever bound to this body, Tom! Un-life's a bitch isn't it?!" Seeing the Joker getting up, Phoenix tossed a white device to Alma who smirked and aimed it at the ground beneath his feet. She fired, and a blue circle appeared under him. He noticed it and decided to mock her.

"You missed little girl! You're supposed to shoot the deadly weapons at me! Not at the ground!"

"Look up." She said as she fired at the ceiling directly above him. Looking up, Joker saw his bottom half in an infinite loop before looking down and seeing the same in reverse. He looked back and saw Alma smirking and waving, holding him in place with telekinesis. "Bye, bye." She let him drop and fall in an infinite loop before turning to Sarah. "Watch him please Auntie?"

"Uh… sure." Alma smiled and charged at Aizen, locking his sword to its sheathe and combining her khali sticks into a staff before tripping him and knocking him out. Embryo, thinking along the lines of the Master, sent one last barrage of clones before vanishing.

"Come back!" shouted Shinnok. "They're just a man and a little girl!"

"We can't win," said Zamasu, his body regenerating after being bisected at the waist yet again because of Phoenix. "I don't know how, but he's stronger than before. And fighting him also seems to be turning the tides away from us. We need to retreat."

"We're so close! Our goal is within reach!"

"Stay and die then!" Zamasu put two fingers to his forehead and Instant Transmissioned out of the Citadel. Voldemort made his way to Shinnok and grabbed his shoulder, disapparating away. Aizen and Joker were still incapacitated, Aizen unconscious and Joker still in freefall.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Phoenix. "At least put up a decent fight before running! God dammit!"

"Language," said Alma, tying up and blindfolding Aizen.

"Right, sorry." Phoenix turned to Joker and snapped. He stopped in midair, looking greener than his hair. The portals disappeared, and Joker was dropped on the ground before being cuffed. "Two down. Five to go." He turned around and was tackled to the ground by his lovers. Alma pulled out a camera and snapped a photo of the sweet moment before smirking.

"Three, two, one." She covered her ears just before the girls started screaming at him. "Called it!"

"Shut up!" said Phoenix over the girls.

"Make me old man!" They smiled at each other and Denise looked at them both.

"So, you have a daughter…" Phoenix paled when he saw the dangerous looks in their eyes. "…Care to explain?" She pulled out her scythe, smiling sweetly as Tsukiko sparked a small amount of lightning in her fingers and Kurumi pulled out her flintlock, aiming it at his head. "You have a bit of explaining to do…"

"Well, I'll let you catch up," said Alma as she turned away. "I'm going to find something to eat!"

"Alma, don't leave me here…"

"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of my growling, growing stomach!" She waved behind her smiling as she left the main chamber.

"Phoenix," said Gareth. "Please fix the hole in the Citadel before you have a chat with your lovers. And when you're done, check on Ms. Amane, I believe she was in the West Wing trying to find a room to call her own before this mess started." Gareth then walked out and to his chambers. Gallio picked up the discarded sonic gun before silently walking away to examine it. The Fates said hello and left, and Sarah conjured a bowl of popcorn and a chair to watch what was going to happen.

"Really, Sis?"

"This is for making a comment about my size earlier."

"That was like 10,000 years ago."

"For you maybe, for us it was only about 20 minutes." She popped a handful of kernels into her mouth and sat down.

"10,000 years…" said Denise. Realization seemed to hit all three at the same time. Kurumi decided to make a joke.

"You mean I would've had you to myself for 10,000 years? Damn. Those bastards have horrible timing." She chuckled softly as Tsukiko and Denise looked downcast. Phoenix held them both close as he connected with Kurumi's mind.

' _Bad time for jokes.'_

' _I know. I've never really been a people person, in case you didn't know.'_

' _Well, we've got forever to help with that. I managed it with Alma, I'll manage it with you. All it takes is the right motivation.'_ Kurumi held back a moan as she felt something grope her breasts. She glanced down and saw Phoenix's shadow before giving him a small glare.

' _You really do cheat, you know that?'_ Phoenix merely smirked as Tsukiko and Denise pulled away.

"How is it that you have a daughter? Did you find another woman..?" asked Tsukiko.

"Not a lot that I had a proper connection with. Majority of my training was me stabilizing my physical form. That took about 7,000 years. The next thousand years were devoted to Magic training, speaking of which. Heads up sis." He tossed a scroll to Sarah who dropped her popcorn and stumbled trying to catch it. "As promised, everything I learned about Soul Magic, it's secrets, tricks, cheats, strengths, and weaknesses."

"Huh. I knew you'd be useful for something. I'll be off in my new library reading this. You four have fun." She distractedly walked out, reading the scroll.

"And technically, it was 10'000 years altogether. Don't know how long I was torn apart, and blown to bits, but I managed to make the best of it. Pieces of me went into the Daedric and Aedric artifacts and learned all they could from my teachers. A piece of me went into a Prime World, where I witnessed the tragic life of a young girl. She'd been ostracized because of what she could do. Her mental abilities were astounding, Reality altering, dimensional rift opening, demon summoning. She could do all of this as a 5-year-old.

"Her bastard of a father wanted to use her as an experiment. Locked her up in a lab, took DNA samples on a regular basis, tortured her to push her mental abilities to their limits. Put her into a coma for years because of how powerful she'd become, only waking her up to artificially impregnate her, twice, before her abilities grew too powerful to keep in check. Even while asleep, her anger, coupled with her telekinesis which was overwhelming her since she was a child with everyone's dark thoughts, she could twist strong adult minds and break lesser ones, simply because it was all she knew to do.

"After seeing she was more of a danger than an asset, her father's company decided to kill her. Her mind simply refused to go dark. She began haunting their facilities, making men and women go mad by her mere presence. The two children she mothered then became part of the companies experiments, the eldest son becoming a super soldier with heightened reaction speeds, endurance, and strength. The younger son, who had developed mental abilities as well, just not as powerful as their mother's, was to be the leader of am army of cloned soldiers. When he learned of his mother because of her being drawn to him, he went mad.

"Started killing everything and consuming people to increase his own mental abilities. The older brother, with no memory of his younger brother and vice versa, was sent to put a stop to him before he could use the clone army to kill thousands, if not millions. A day later, the mother's ghost grew infatuated with a US Army soldier sent to investigate the supposed military action occurring in a small town and proceeded to rape said soldier when his mental abilities were increased to try and combat her.

"She became psionically pregnant. Roughly a year later she gave birth to said child. From there, the Prime World's timeline is split into two paths as either the older brother, or the younger brother, possessing the older brother, raises the child after the mother's spirit passes or is consumed by the younger brother. I don't know what happens after that. It's like the Prime World just… stopped."

"It's been known to happen before. I take it Alma is a Variant of the mother of that World?" Phoenix nodded and smiled.

"An Alpha Variant. I didn't want her to suffer like that in life, so before coming here, I saved her from her Prime self's fate." He pulled out a locket and shows a picture of the two of them, standing over the corpse of a dragon and both holding up a peace sign. "I adopted her shortly after and have been raising her for 8 years, giving her a life she never had in most of her other incarnations. She's been wanting to meet all of you for a while now."

"Phoenix," said Gallio over the loudspeakers. "Get your brat out of my lab!"

"Don't call me a brat, fuckface. Ow!" exclaimed Alma. "Language, I know. Sorry dad!" Kurumi giggled and hugged his arm.

"So she said a bad word, it's not the end of the world."

"Shut up, I'm trying to teach her to be respectable."

"That's rich coming from you, Bird Brain." Said Tsukiko. The Verser smiled and kissed her. Gareth walked back in, carrying the Fate Note and holding up his right arm, which was being bitten by Alma as she hung on for dear life.

"Phoenix, your cretin won't leave us alone!"

"Don't call her a cretin, she's my little devil. Hanging in there, Alma?!" She responded by giving a thumbs up and biting down harder.

"Ow! Get off!" Alma swung herself into the air, did three flips, and landed with her hands in the air.

"10," said Denise.

"10," said Tsukiko.

"9," said Kurumi. "You were in the air long enough for one more flip.

"9," said Phoenix. "Off to the right just a smidge."

"Splendid," said Gareth. He then held up the Fate Note. "We have another problem to deal with."

"I thought you destroyed that." Said Phoenix.

"I did. It reformed, and this time, it had a few additions to it." He tossed it to the center of the chamber where it floated in place.

"Is it supposed to do that?" asked Misa Amane as she walked into the chamber. She clung to Phoenix's arm as she watched the Fate Note.

"Not originally, no. There's something else. Track entity, Sosuke Aizen, Delta Variant, escapee." The Fate Note flipped to a page and showed a live image of the same Sosuke Aizen Alma had knocked out already back in a cell in the Shadow Vault.

"That shouldn't be possible," said Phoenix as he walked around the Fate Note.

"But it is. It seems the Fate Note has evolved somehow. Not only can it now alter Fate beyond what the Lady's can, now it seems to have even more power. It can even gaze into the Shadow Vault."

"Well, let's see its fullest extent then. Track Shadow Vault escapee, Tom Marvolo Riddle." The Fate Note closed and flipped open again only to show a blacked-out image. "So much for that thought."

"You're asking the wrong question." Said Alma. She walked over to the Note. "Track World Variants in trouble." Instantly the Fate Note repeated the process of closing and flipping to another page. I showed a stagnant image of a small corner of the Metaverse. One Reality was at risk of fading, as evidenced by the slightest hint of it's image fading. "Can we get Gallio to sync this with your normal display setup?"

"I could ask," said Phoenix. He then pointed to the World. "Gareth, what Multiverse is that?"

"Oh, no. Can't we just leave this one to fade?"

"Why?"

"Those sisters are a menace to their society, and an embarrassment to their race. I think the Metaverse is better off without one less Variant of them."

" _ **Gareth…"**_

"Fine, fine. I know!"

"Sisters? Are they champions?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Fate Note, track sister champions of world in danger." The image zoomed in and showed two girls, one a petite blonde in a red dress, flirting with some men at a mall, her sister, a shapely young woman with dark blue hair with pink highlights, a black Gothic Lolita dress, and black and purple stockings, eating ice cream and having a food-gasm while ignoring her sister. "I-is that..?"

"The Anarchy sisters, yes. See what I mean about embarrassment to their race, Phoenix."

"I think he's found someone else he's attracted too," said Alma. She waved her hand in front of his face as he stared at the Gothic Lolita. Kurumi smiled and drew Denise and Tsukiko over to her.

"Looks like we can add another girl to our little harem here," she told them.

"Who put you in charge," asked Tsukiko, clearly annoyed that Kurumi seemed to have appointed herself as the Harem Queen.

"I did. I am after all a dominant. I can tell you're both unclear on this but listen, who here has a major connection to Phoenix."

"We all do," said Denise. "You and Tsukiko share portions of his soul, and it appears he is my Shadow."

"Shadow," they asked.

"He has powers related to my own, and he has collected the Deathly Hallows, magical artifacts that mark their collector as a Master of Death. He seems to have taken the title Shadow instead of Master, I could feel it about him."

"So, ha," said Tsukiko, "You're not in charge." Kurumi merely smirked and caressed her cheek, while subtly fondling Denise's breast out of view of everyone else. Both girls blushed as she whispered in their ears.

"But I'm the only true dominant personality among the three of us. You're both switches at best. Therefor, I'm in charge." She smiled as she pulled away and went back to Phoenix, still staring at the blue haired Anarchy sister.

" _ **Phoenix,"**_ said Eternity. _**"I know you'll want to spend time with your girls, and let Alma get to know them, so now might be an opportunity to use your Omnipresence ability,"**_

"Omnipresence," said Misa. "What does that mean?"

"He can be in multiple places at once," said Gareth. "Alma, has he ever done that before?"

"Once, he was teaching me the Hero's Curse and ways around it."

"'Hero's Curse'," said Tsukiko. "What's that?"

"It's more commonly known as the 'Hero's Dilemma.' Say you're fighting an enemy, one who knows exactly who you are, and has taken a few hostages, one hostage being a single person the hero loves, the other being a group of people important to saving others in the long run. He puts them both into peril and tells the hero they can only save one. The love, or the doctors. Saving one means dooming the other, and the hero has a time limit or both die. Most heroes only have one option as they either don't have back up, or their back up can't arrive in time to beat the time limit.

"Some heroes have been fortunate enough to not make a choice because of their powers, but not all of them do. Some have to make the choice. Sacrifice everything you love for the greater good or sacrifice the greater good to save all you love."

"'Hero's Curse'…" said Tsukiko she turned to Phoenix, realizing the scenario seemed too specific. _'He's had to make that choice, hasn't he?'_

"I've used it exactly once. I'm not even sure I can do it again." Alma thought for a bit before shrugging and pulling out two shuriken.

"Miss Amane, Mama Tsukiko, catch!" She chucked the shuriken at both girls. Misa screamed, seeing it coming. Phoenix split into two and caught both shuriken before they could hit either girl.

"Alma…" said both Phoenix's. She paled and rubbed the back of her head, chuckling nervously before trying to run. She got into the hall before being brought back by a third Phoenix holding onto the back of her red shirt.

"Th-th-three Phoenix's?!" exclaimed Denise. Her nose started bleeding and she started giggling crazily as a blush covered her face. Kurumi smiled as Tsukiko scrambled to block Alma's view of Denise.

"Someone's thinking naughty thoughts," said Kurumi as she leaned closer to Denise's ear to whisper to her. "You pervert, you." She licked her cheek, causing her mind to go into overload and making her pass out.

Gareth cleared his throat, catching Phoenix's attention. "Since it seems you are dead set on saving that world, you'll need either an Infernal, or Holy garment. They're the only objects capable of killing the ghosts of this Multiverse. You'll find fragments of some down in the armory. Add them to any piece of clothing you wish to use, and you'll be able to turn it into a weapon of your choice. No more than one. Choose wisely because once it's bonded it can't be unbound. I'll get Gallio and see if we can't fix the Fate Note to one of his displays." He started to walk away before turning back. "And dispel those clones of yours! One of you is bad enough!" He turned away and went to find Gallio.

" _ **Phoenix, there's one other thing. While the faded worlds have been saved because of Gallio's quick thinking, it has left a rather curious issue to be dealt with,"**_ said Eternity.

"That issue being…"

" _ **There are several Worlds where the Champion was never born when they should've been. One of your abilities as a Verser is to become one with a Champion and live their life. I require you to do so for any Worlds where a Champion is needed. You will join with the souls of unborn Champions and restore their lives. The troubling thing is they're all Alpha Variants, a rare occurrence for this to happen to multiple Alpha Variant Worlds at once. I sense the Conquerors…"**_

"Freaks," said Phoenix.

"Losers," said Alma at the same time.

"… _ **May be using these Worlds to recruit more allies to their cause in an attempt to kill you."**_

"They can send as many lesser gods as they can find. It'll take another Verser, of equal or greater strength, or me wanting to die, to kill me. Instincts will tell me when such an event will occur."

" _ **How do you know this?"**_

"Been watching the nearest Verser Realities. They're a bunch of undisciplined thieves. Everything about them is stolen from other Worlds. At least my combat ability is learned. I learned every trick and technique in my arsenal. Now you want me to act like those thieves, those fakes, those copycats?"

" _ **The alternative is letting the enemy amass enough powerful allies to actually harm you. You need allies, not just a one-man army."**_

"I can handle any…"

"Dad!" Phoenix turned and saw a very angry Alma, her hair flowing and eyes glowing with power. "Listen! Don't let your hubris get in the way of your logic! You've been like this ever since we killed that dragon! Think! We cannot beat them by ourselves for long! I'm not as powerful as you…" Phoenix calmed down after that and went to her. He hugged his daughter in all but blood and sighed.

"I'm sorry Alma, I don't know why I started thinking that way. Something hasn't been right ever since I first fought the Freaks before becoming what I was. I can't explain it."

"It's easy to explain the behavior after defeating a dragon," said Gareth. He turned to Alma. "Was there a bright light and a large gust of wind afterwards?"

"Yeah, right after we took the picture, why?"

"Well, there's one mystery solved. A rarity indeed. Phoenix, it seems you are a Dragonborn from a mundane world. No wonder your soul could survive everything it's been through."

"Dragonborn huh, no wonder I started acting like I was invincible. I absorbed a dragon's soul. The arrogance of dragons is the same in any world. Apex predators with nigh invulnerable scales, elemental breath, flight, extremely long lifespan, and magic if they're from a particular breed. Truly magnificent, perfect creatures."

"Was that the dragon talking or Phoenix," asked Misa.

"That's Dad speaking, he's kind of obsessed with the damn things, you should've seen him weep after killing the damn thing, I think you can see a tear in the picture in his locket."

"Shut up, Alma, or no sweets."

"Shutting up!" Phoenix smiled, patted her head, and turned back to Eternity.

"Alright, I'll do it. Where should I head to first?"

"The Tennyson Omniverse," said Gallio as he walked in. Just got a call from an old friend there. His Variant Champion was never born and the Universe he's in is now in trouble. An extradimensional being is threatening it without their Champion."

"You mean Benjamin Tennyson, don't you?"

"The very same. It'll be a nice test, see if he's gotten better with his inventions."

"Please tell me your friend is Azmuth."

"Smartest man in 4 galaxies, 2 Omniverses, and third smartest man in the Metaverse. Been my friend and rival for years, nice guy, Azmuth. Try not to irritate him too much."

"This is my Dad you're talking about. Being kind and courteous is second nature to him as long as you don't piss him off."

"Somehow I feel like there will be an inevitable phone call."

"I promise as a Knight of the Round, that I will not do everything in my power to piss off Azmuth." Said Phoenix, kneeling with a sword pointed blade first to the ground.

"You went to Camelot?!" asked Tsukiko. Phoenix smiled and showed the crest of the Knights of the Round Table on the Cuirass of the armor he was now wearing.

"Fun fact, Arthur, in the world I traveled to, was a girl. A cute one at that."

"Oh," said Sarah as she walked in. "Arturia! How is she?!"

"She's fine. But as for that Universe, I think she's in trouble. I need to go there and uphold my oath sometime soon."

"The Grail…" said Gareth, though not loud enough for anyone but Alma to hear.

"I'll start there then. Can't wait to get an Omnitrix. Oh, the mischief I could get up to."

"Oh, no." Said Gareth. He turned to Gallio, who merely adjusted his glasses. "What have you done?"

"I'm helping a friend. Simple as that." Eternity smiled as she watched mortal and god alike discussing plans. She frowned internally as thoughts of what was coming came to mind.

' _ **Be careful, Champion. If what I fear is coming is who I think, we need you at full strength, otherwise, we may be doomed. Hmm, maybe I should find other mortals who could become Versers, I just need to watch out for the inevitable outcome of so many powerful beings being born. There must always be a balance after all.'**_

* * *

 **Author notes:**

 **One story complete, one legendary adventure to follow. To anyone who may be wondering, I am not affiliated with the Multiverser series started by VindictiveDunc. Those stories belong to him and whoever he's let join in his cannon. My story is heavily based on his work, but with more restrictions and different circumstances. If you've been paying attention, then you know my cannon uses an extended Multiverse Theory as it's basis, this was done simply to give small shout outs here and there to certain writers who I know have made excellent stories here on and other sites. As for Eternity's thoughts at the end, you'll just have to wait and see what's going to happen. That incident won't occur for some time. If you're still reading, be sure to look out for the stories I have planned next. You may have picked up a hint on what one of them might be in the last three chapters. Until next time, readers.**


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